And no, that�s NOT her at the top of the page, the new mommy; it�s my daughter�s best friend since she was like 6 years old, my pseudo-second daughter (she calls me mom, and they call each other sisters). And in her arms is her new son, brought into the world last evening after about 18 hours of labor.

I let my daughter stay home from school yesterday, because mommy-j was in labor, and �she�s said that there�s no way she�s having this baby without me there.� I avoided the logical reply of �try stopping it,� and just let her go be with her. She would be worthless in school anyway, so why not let her do what she does best: be a friend. So she went to her, and they left for the hospital late morning (by the way, the father went too), and they were together up until about 8 centimeters. Then it was time for her to step back and let daddy and medical personnel do their thing. She waited in the waiting area with the grandmothers to be and the godfather to be and her cell phone which eventually ran out of minutes because of the updates to a frantic Ibe.

I�ve never had that kind of friend. Not someone who�s stayed with me through all of my personal drama for over a decade. And frankly, I�ve never been that kind of friend either. I�m too self-absorbed, I guess. I�d like to think I�d be that kind of friend, I want to be that kind of friend, but I don�t think anyone has ever needed me the way those two need each other. It reminds me a whole lot of my mom and her best friend who passed away a few years ago after their 60+ years together. It was so sad to see them separated by death, but I couldn�t help, then, kind of feeling jealous of what they�d had, what they�d shared.

My daughter came home in tears last night, overwhelmed by the beauty of the baby and the miracle of the birth and the admiration of her dearest friend�s strength and courage throughout the ordeal. It felt so special to have her share her emotions with me, to see in her face the woman she�s become.

I know she is a woman who will make a big difference in the world. She makes such a difference in every one she�s touched. She�s made such a difference in me. I�ve been so blessed in that we�ve been friends for much more time than most women can say about their daughters. At 15 we still enjoyed each other�s company, and now at 17 she has begun to tolerate me and sometimes even hug me again. I hope and pray the maybe someday she and I will be friends again.

I should be so lucky.

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