This time of year puts a big focus on friendship. We see them at holiday parties or we make it a point to get together. We sometimes exchange gifts and share holiday cheer.
As the lyrics of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" reminds us:
It’s the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings
And great happy meetings
When friends come to call
Over Thanksgiving I was lucky enough to have three brunches with different friends from different stages of my life. It was a treat to share a bit of holiday time with each of them and it reminded me of the uniqueness of each relationship. Female friendships are fascinating. They are complicated, intense and important.
The book The HerStories Project: Women Explore the Joy, Pain, and Power of Female Friendship explores the complex topic of female friendship and its impact.
I am honored to be a part of this anthology that features 50 writers, including Chicago Parent blogger Kate Hall, sharing their experiences. The book was released this week and one of the best comments I’ve heard about it was a friend who emailed me to say that as she was reading, “so many times I found myself nodding my head in agreement.”
And isn’t that the essence of female friendship? Someone who says or does something to make you nod, who makes you feel understood, who gets it and you.
Moms in particularly understand the importance and value of friendships with other moms. A fellow mom friend who is experiencing the same trials and tribulations can be invaluable, be it with support getting through the early sleepless nights, camaraderie sitting on the bleachers at seemingly-endless practices or just maintaining sanity.
The book explores how friends have navigated the transition to motherhood and much else – stories of friendship loss, enduring bonds from childhood, toxic friendships and renegotiating the role of friendship as adults. Friendship is a lot of things; sometimes it’s easy, but not always. It has its highs and lows. I love the honesty of these women who are not afraid to talk about the good times and the hard times, too.
You can get The Herstories Project book on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It would be a great holiday gift for a friend, a hostess, a sister or whoever has made you nod your agreement lately.
Hope your holiday season includes lots of fun with your girlfriends!
