It’s Day two of my Gratitude Month, and today what I am most thankful for is the woman in the picture above.

This is my friend Laura.

Laura may or may not realize it, but she has been a very good and very REAL friend to me, especially during a time when I trusted NO ONE and truly did not even WANT one…single…friend.

She was my friend anyway, despite what I wanted.

She is the girl who would bring me a coffee to work in the morning because she knew I got forced to come in early. She is the girl who would hang out with me at Starbucks learning to crochet, and more importantly listened to me endlessly complain about something that I just needed, desperately, to complain about for awhile.  She just listened, over and over, until it was out of my system and I didn’t need to talk about it anymore. She helped me to put it behind me. She is the friend who can always make me smile, no matter what, because her own smile is contagious!

I’ve know Laura for just over 13 years now, and athough we weren’t always close, we have always respected each other and been friendly, but getting to know her more this year and spending more time with her has truly been a godsend.

Personally, I respect her for so many reasons.  She’s a great mother, wife, sister and daughter, and also an awesome daughter-in-law. She is a blossoming leader, taking over a very important leadership role in her field of work. She’s made some enormous lifestyle changes this year and has gotten UBER healthy! She even completed her first 5K today! (whoop whoop!)  She’s just, plain, a good person.

So, in closing, for Day Two, thank you GOD for bringing a real friend into my life…just at the right time. YOUR TIME! And thank YOU Laura P, for everything! I hope we can continue this for many years to come, and that I can be as good a friend to you as you have been to me! : )