By Dawn Onley

My co-blogger and I were once naïve college students at an off-campus house party where we had indulged in a bit too much to drink. Between the laughing, the dancing, and the spiked punch, we completely lost track of time. Suddenly, she leaned over and whispered to me that she had to use the bathroom, and she dragged me in there with her, the way best girlfriends do.

Once inside, she informed me that we were the only two females left in the house, and that there were about 15 guys out there. We sobered up real quick, and planned our exit strategy.

When we came out of the bathroom, we headed for the door. I remember a few guys asking us where we were going, and we told them we were going home because we were tired. I remember a few of them encouraging us to stay, even saying we could crash, but we insisted that we had to leave.

When we got to my car, we let out a sigh of relief. We were scared. We knew we were fortunate; that things could have turned out much different. We had fun, but like most college kids, we didn’t always make the wisest choices. We were glad we had each other, and later laughed that God looks out for babies and fools.

We still have each other, and countless other stories. When all else fails, our best girlfriends are the ones who ride life’s journeys with us, even down treacherous streets and uncertain byways. They are there to pick us up, to cheer us on, to help us fight our battles, to give us advice, and to not only listen to us, but to hear us. They let us know when we are dead wrong, and we may sulk, but we listen to them because they have proven, time and time again, to have our best interests at heart. They truly want the best for us, and we want the best for them.

And so it’s only fitting to acknowledge the special role girlfriends play in our lives, a few weeks late of National Girlfriend’s Day, which was on Aug. 1^st. I just couldn’t let the month pass without paying tribute to my favorite girls. I thank God for blessing me with great girlfriends, whom I’ve traveled with – as far away as Egypt — and on diva-fabulous trips to New York, Vermont, Florida, Texas, California and Jamaica. These women I have dined with, prayed with, cried with, laughed to the point of hysteria with, dreamed with, plotted with, partied with, and who have my back, always. I have some really close guy friends, whom I love endlessly too, but nothing and no one could ever take the place of my beloved girlfriends.

My girlfriends have celebrated with me, and I have toasted them. They constantly motivate me to want to be better. We know each other’s potential, and we push each other to reach it.

I love them for a lifetime of memories, for helping me to be my authentic self, when even I wasn’t quite sure who that was.

They are not just my girlfriends, they are my sisters.