“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
– Psalms 37:4

The greatest gift a friend can give you is a friend. Your trusted and loved friend has done all the leg work; she has confirmed her humor is sarcastic, sassy, self-deprecating with a pinch of bawdiness, has the right balance of book smarts and street smarts, is earnest and gracious, enjoys a good Pinot Noir and a Hendricks and tonic, preferably at the same time, and gives good hugs.

Ellen, whom I have known since we sang religious nursery rhymes together, bestowed upon me Lisa. Lisa, an accomplished, silly, intelligent woman knows no boundaries nor lets fear anchor her. Lisa, who has inspired me since the moment I met her, is pregnant through assisted reproductive technology. Lisa is a woman who knows herself, who uses her mind to follow her heart.

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Lisa’s favorite children’s author, Shel Silverstein, inspired her baby shower.

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“Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.”
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.”
– Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree

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“…and she loved a boy very, very much– even more than she loved herself.”
– Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree

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“Listen to the mustn’ts, child.
Listen to the don’ts.
Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts.
Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me…
Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
– Shel Silverstein