Wrangler Dani

My dear friend Holli and I had been planning a girls’ weekend for a while, and last week I started to wonder if it was going to work out. My shoulder was killing me, I felt woefully behind at work, my husband was out of town and my to-do lists were having babies all over the house. My personal river was running dry, but I had too many concerns to worry about a drought just now, so it had better last, just a little longer.

No matter how parched I felt, our weekend was planned. Holli was flying in, and all I had to do was get to Portland. So I shoved all of my worries out of my mind, threw my bags in the car and drove over the mountain, knowing that this was important and that I had to treat it as such. When I pulled up to the Portland airport, I almost couldn’t believe it when Holli popped into my passenger side – wait, you mean we get a whole weekend together? To-do lists? What to-do lists? Is that rain I hear?

We admired fall color, explored the Portland Saturday Market, bought lattes frequently and stumbled upon a decadent gluten-free bakery at 9 p.m. We felt too old (and married) for a hipster bar but happily stayed out late at Deschutes brewery. We took a food tour, went hiking in search of waterfalls, explored thrift stores and home stores and Powell’s books. We spent a long time in debate about where to eat dinner, only to find the perfect place a block away. Most of all, we talked. It might seem hard to believe that women can talk for three days, but we can. When I lived close to Holli and saw her often, we had a sort of ongoing conversation – one that would peter out after a late-night board game match and start back up next Sunday at church, a flowing, constant river of trivial ponderings, deep thoughts and family news, drifting by in the current of a faithful friendship. Now the river is dammed by distance and time, as we get busier and time gets shorter, so every now and then we have to open the gates and let it pour out. When it does, every moment with a friend is a rush of creativity, refreshment and rejuvenation – the river after a rain.

Friendship is so important, and taking the time to nurture it, relish it and rely on it is never, ever wasted. I’m so glad that we had a weekend together, and I’m taking this lesson into the coming months with me. It’s never a bad idea to pick up the phone, shoot a text, send a card or plan a trip. The river ebbs and flows, but it shouldn’t ever dry up or be forgotten – it matters far too much to be ignored.

Gosh I’m grateful for friendship – for faithful friends who board planes and make calls and change schedules. I’m grateful for the privilege of knowing and being known by women who I admire, who make me laugh and feel at home no matter where we are. I’m grateful that rainy days, long detours and new challenges are made easier when you have people in your life to share with. I’m so thankful that a weekend with a friend feels like a river after a rain – I’m full to overflowing.