13 Jun That’s What Friends Are For
Here we have the LOL, here we have my friends.
Indeed, Cara (second from the left in the cute cap) chose our latest book, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons not only because she wanted to end on an upbeat, easy note, but because she thought reading about a group of women who were friends and fellow readers sounded quite appropriate for the LOL.
As the women (described in the note taken from Good Reads below) of Freesia Court move through their lives, their friendships become intertwined, through kids, husbands, and the multitude of stages and scenarios life brings as we age and our families do too.
And so that brings me to my own life, and the lives of my loved ones and how my dear friend (and LOL’er), Vikki, sent me a supportive message today encouraging me to take heart and be strong through this difficult stage, known as the “sandwich years.” You know that time, when we middle-agers are caught between the demands of our teens and the needs of our aging parents. With my father in law recently suffering a major heart attack and my own dad having surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney yesterday (two dads in ICU), my 16-year old son writing his first provincial exams and applying for early admission to university, my 15-year old daughter being…a 15-year old daughter…and happily completing middle school and interviewing for her first job…it’s been quite the week.
My husband’s whole family is here, brother and sisters arriving from Victoria, Edmonton, and Regina. It’s wonderful that his mom is surrounded by such love and support. His dad remains in the ICU, improving but still precarious. Not much sleep has been had.
Gratefully, my dad’s surgery was a success. Cancer is gone and the road to recovery begun. Soon he will be here too, so that I can care for him post-op, hoping to get him to embrace lean eating and exercise, while forgoing his daily loaf of bread. Our daily bread….yes…a slice is good, the entire loaf, not so much. I think I might write about that…
Back to the blog, because I’ve been away a bit, what with so many other responsibilities pulling at me, but today I just wanted to make mention of friends and the many who have been supportive through this rough patch. All the gals of the LOL and many more elsewhere, as well as my husband’s dude friends, have been wonderful.
That’s what friends are for…and that’s what so often makes me smile, even on days when the wind blows and the rain falls.
For more smiles with friends, pick up Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons and join us!
The women of Freesia Court are convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delectable desserts, and a strong shoulder can’t fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together—the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons), an unofficial “club” that becomes much more. It becomes a lifeline. Holding on through forty eventful years, there’s Faith, a lonely mother of twins who harbors a terrible secret that has condemned her to living a lie; big, beautiful Audrey, the resident sex queen who knows that with good posture and an attitude you can get away with anything; Merit, the shy doctor’s wife with the face of an angel and the private hell of an abusive husband; Kari, a wise woman with a wonderful laugh who knows the greatest gifts appear after life’s fiercest storms; and finally, Slip, a tiny spitfire of a woman who isn’t afraid to look trouble straight in the eye.
This stalwart group of friends depicts a special slice of American life, of stay-at-home days and new careers, of children and grandchildren, of bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly timed giggle fit is the CPR that mends broken hearts and shattered dreams.
From the Trade Paperback edition.(less)