Transcending

I hung up the phone, cutting short a conversation that would have no end if we had our way, and sat in a happy and contented glow. I had been talking to my friend Ellie, and when I read her an excerpt from Kelly Corrigan's book The Middle Place, I didn't have to explain what I loved about it. She just knew, she got it, and that's why I read it to her. I knew it would hit the same part of her heart-gut as mine. To someone else, maybe even my loving husband, the simple-but-poignant-to-me paragraph may have fallen flat. But that doesn't happen with kindred spirits. Our souls high five at the recognition of the same things in the same way.

We women do transcend, don't we? We sit in moments together that smack of eternity and grace. We forgive each other our inevitable annoying quirks and mistakes. And as we watch each other struggle through this game of growing up, we do it not from the sidelines, but more like piggy back, holding on tight and staying on for the ride no matter what it brings. It's beautiful.

And that is why I cry through this:



This is what I have with my friends. I'm so grateful. And so often, I wish I lived close to all of you, my online friends, so we could do more of these things. For now, we'll continue to do what we can on the world wide web or the phone, and we will call each other 'real life friends' because we are, we transcend too.

Hat tip to Lindsey, my favorite book recommender (that's totally a word) and a true kindred spirit.
I transcend every time I read your blog, lady. And I thank you.


Also, I had the most amazing conversation with Elizabeth yesterday. She knew nothing about my conversation with Ellie and yet she used the word transcend in just the way I was searching to describe it.
And that is when I felt the definition of the word. Again.
Thank you, Elizabeth. It was so good to float around on a moment of grace with you.

Piggy Back
Mackenzie, loving me through it, all those years ago
and still today.