The "Love at First Sight" Friendship -by Kris Drew

                                                           ~ Intro by Geli ~

  Since starting the Soul Sisters Facebook page and then the blog, one of my favorite things to do is to talk to other women about their friendships. I have always been interested in the lives and relationships of others, but now more than ever, I am truly enjoying hearing these stories. One of the things that I am most excited about is getting other women to submit their Soul Sister stories. I love hearing about the chance meetings, the Divine intervention, and the beautiful relationships that are created between women and their best friends.

on a winter hike

As I have been working on Soul Sisters material, I have also been practicing what I preach; I have been prioritizing my lifelong friendships, while also working on building deeper friendships with some more recent Soul Sisters. One of my most encouraging friends in regards to my writing is my friend Kris.

Kris and I met about five years ago when our daughters were in girl scouts together. We spoke briefly in passing but remained just acquaintances for a few years. When our daughters started middle school, they became better friends and started spending more time together, which meant we saw each other more often also.  The first thing I truly loved about Kris was the way she spoke to and about my daughter. Our kids are our pride and joy, and when someone loves on them, it's hard not to like them! She made Skye feel special and loved, I could tell Skye enjoyed being around her.

Kris with our daughters at a dance competition

Our daughters started dance class together, so we would have coffee together while the girls were dancing. We really clicked, conversations were easy, without any uncomfortable silence. Kris is an amazing listener... she would ask questions and truly care about my answers. We very quickly opened up during our weekly chats and thought it would be nice to hang out more often. We chatted while walking around the lake, hung out with the girls at the beach, and then this past spring, she invited me to help out at an overnight birthday party for her daughter. The more I got to know her, the more I liked her.

Over the past year, she has become a great friend, someone that I trust, enjoy spending time with and can be myself with. I am blessed to call her my Soul Sister.

So, when she was telling me a story about how she met one of her best friends, I asked her if she would submit it as a blog entry.  So, here is our first ever, reader submitted Soul Sister story, written by my friend and soul sister, Kris Drew.

                                                  The Love at First Sight Friendship

 "Sometimes friends are by chance, sometimes friends are by circumstance and sometimes friends are by design... not ours but someone else's.  I believe God brings people in our lives for various reasons. I have one who has been in my life for 41 years, one my whole life (thank you Mom and Dad), one that was friend before becoming family and I couldn't imagine life without.  There are many stories about those three.  One was brought to me in another way.  In fact, it is going to sound corny but it was "love at first sight".

My husband and I had recently moved to our new home. We signed our middle child up for tumbling class, which we affectionately referred to as "flip and flop class".  I brought our sweet little 3 year old to class the first week.  The parents were supposed to sit quietly along the wall in the gym watching as our beloved children learned the art of the forward roll in the center of the room.  As I scanned the room, just casually looking at the other parents, my eyes focused on another mom in the room.  For some reason, I was strangely drawn to her.  The next week, I made a point to sit near her.
On a side note, my kids have said that it can be annoying how I will talk to anyone, anywhere for any reason.  I'm not sure who spoke to whom first but we started talking.  As the weeks went on, we noticed our girls were similar in behavior and we encouraged them to interact.  Both girls were incredibly shy so that was no easy feat.  Through our talks, we bonded slowly.  The first play date was arranged "for the girls".  The girls played well together but what we found between us moms, was something special.  We found in each other someone we could share time in person with at first, then phone conversations.  As the years have passed, our girls have drifted apart, still friendly, but not besties anymore.  Us moms, on the other hand, have found a friendship that is deeper and stronger than I could imagine. Ten years have passed. She is incredibly important to me and I don't want to imagine life without her. She is my confidante, seriously, we share EVERYTHING.  She is my comic relief. She is my support. She is so much more than another mom sitting across the gym. I am blessed that God brought her to me.  She is my "love at first sight" friend."



Note: If you would like to submit a soul sister story, email it to  angelik0718@gmail.com
Thank you 😃 Geli

Best Friends... They aren't just for kids!

I think so many women are put off by the "best friend" title. They think of it as a childish, immature title. Many think as an adult, " I have friends, I don't need to specify who's the best one", and I get that. I also hear, "my husband is my best friend", and I get that too, partially. My husband IS truly one of my best friends and is usually the one I am most excited to tell things to, and most often the first person I call and vent to, unless... I'm needing some support or advice that may be related to him, or something he may just not be capable of helping me through, like dealing with the effects of aging as a woman. (he just doesn't get it) but my girlfriends do... that's why they're the ones I call.

As far as the 'best friend' title, it's not necessary to have just ONE best friend and place all the others on a lower level. Quite the opposite actually... I have been blessed to have Jess in my life since childhood, she is my soul sister and my BFF. We are so close, we have become more like sisters actually and our lives and families have been enhanced with each other in them. We both welcome new girlfriends that the other brings around with open arms and acceptance. Because of the relationship we have, there is never any jealousy that we will be replaced. You can't replace a sister!!  Just because she is my lifetime BFF, it doesn't mean that we both can't have other best friends. It's not about just one, to me it's about the depth and closeness of the friendship.

We all have "friends" who aren't much more than friendly acquaintances, and some of us have good friends, but it may be missing that true heart connection, or still have some walls up. A best friend is someone you can be yourself with and they love you in spite of it. I have been speaking to women who have lost touch with the girlfriends from their youth, and the one question that I get asked over and over is..."Isn't it too late to develop a new best friend?" and my answer is always the same, NO!! It's never too late to make new friends, and over time, as those new friendships become seasoned, you may develop a best friend. We all remember the childhood song,

Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.

I believe the message behind the song is not that your newer friends aren't ever going to be as important, instead it's a reminder not to forget those who have been by our side when we meet a new friend that we click with. In school it's so common to see girls who are BFF's with one girl for a few months, then meet another that they click with and "dump" the first friend for a new BFF. That can lead to fear of being ones self around friends or such a fear of rejection that they don't reach out at all. Unfortunately, it's a lesson we must all learn the hard way.

So whether you are young or more 'seasoned', keep your eyes open, and more than that, your heart open. You never know when or where you may meet your new friend, that may, if there's a 'soul connection' become a best friend.

This is dedicated to all my best friends, you know who you are. I love you.

Until next time, be blessed:) Geli

A little girls first best friend...

There was definitely a large age gap between us, yet that never seemed to matter to either of us. My earliest memories of her were when I was about 5 years old. We spent so much time together, it seemed we were inseparable. I could always be myself around her. I always felt safe, never judged, and definitely loved.

She was more than 50 years older than me, but she didn't act it. She never acted like I was too childish to spend time with, I think she actually enjoyed being able to play with me. I remember staying with her when I was about 5-6 years old, she treated me like I was older than I really was... She gave me credit that others didn't. She let me help her with the chores and actually acted like I was needed, I felt so special. She would let me stay up late and listen to the radio show that was on, past my bedtime, called "The Squeaking Door". I would get scared sometimes, but she'd let me cuddle up to her and I knew I was safe.

As I got older, we spent less time together...still, a week here and there. She never held it against me that I didn't come around more often. She would always let me cook with her, watch her shows with her, and we'd play games for hours. She never seemed too busy to give me her undivided attention. She would make me the dinner that I chose, with a treat and a book before bed.

When I became a teenager, she never seemed to judge me, even when everyone else did. She always seemed to find the best in me, even when I couldn't. She seemed proud of my accomplishments, yet never disappointed in my failures.

As an adult with kids of my own, she always seemed sincerely happy to hear from me. I would visit her and confide in her often. We would drink tea and I would ramble on about my life and she would listen intently. Every now and then, she told me stories of her youth, but most of the time she would ask me about my life.

Looking back I have come to realize that the reason my Grandma was such an important part of my life, is that she allowed me to be me, and loved me anyway. Unlike parents, who feel that they have to teach you a lesson in everything, and always remind you right from wrong, my Grandma was more of a friend. She spent time learning who I was, allowing me to be silly, and even sometimes naughty, without passing judgment.

My Grandma taught me many things, but here's what she taught me about friendship


1-We have two ears and one mouth for a reason, people know that you care about them when you listen more than you talk.

2- Find out what someone likes to eat and make it for them and then share it with them:)

3- Spend time interacting. Play games, laugh, talk. spend quality time enjoying each others company.

4- Care about what they care about. Ask them questions about what they are passionate about, then truly listen.

5-When someone has a bad day, allow them to vent. Then spend time with them doing something that takes their mind off what was bothering them.

6- Always seem happy to hear from your friends, they can hear it in your voice, so make the effort to smile, even if you don't feel like it.

7- Life gets busy. Don't give a friend a guilt trip because they haven't prioritized you the way you feel they ought to. Remind them by your actions why they love hanging out with you, so they want to more often.

8- Be silly together without fear of being judged, don't always act your age. Have fun!

9- Always find a reason to give a complement, but make it sincere.

10 -Relax, have a cup of tea and remember, when you get to a certain age, you can cheat when you play games and no one will hold it against you:) especially not your friends...

Thanks to both of my Grandma's for teaching about friendship
~ Geli