the cost of friendship

Lately I've been on a mission to revamp a moms group that I joined when my eldest child was a few months old. As a new mom of one, money seemed endless, and I had no clue what to do with those long days while my husband was at work. Thankfully, I was never a big spender-I always loved bargain hunting, but was just as happy to browse as I was to buy. Eventually I connected w/ various mom's groups and that was a great source of emotional support. I found myself choosing group activities over shopping, or other isolating activities. As a result, how I spent our money and my time changed. I became more interested in inexpensive or free activities, not necessarily shunning a playdate at the mall (which typically included lunch at the food court) but also relished the mornings a a local park (the most expensive expense being a cup of coffee to get me going).
In recent months i've noticed another shift within this chapter of my life. My interest in inexpensive activities had grown, and the people who I associate with hold values close to my own. That's not to say I don't enjoy a discussion over which children's clothes are a better value, but I also appreciate those conversations which revolve around how to balance treating myself while factoring the higher costs of necessities. Sounds so simplistic-but at the same time-me and some moms also talk about more challenging things-like the struggle to reenter the workforce, issues surrounding saving for retirement (or college for those who want to return to school). I hate sounding like Ms Suzy Homemaker, when really I'm nowhere near that level of domesticity. I just try to live a balanced life.
Anyways, I digress from my post. Today I went to a free water park (just paid for admission to pay at the site), and the kids had a field day. The moms had a potluck lunch, and we sat under the shade trees with our strollers and towels while the kids were soaked. What I spent ($3 to enter the park) was nothing compared to what I got out of it-I related to moms with multiple children, those who are done having children, those who are on the fence about adding to their brood.
I also saw a face from when I was a mom of one-and she was the mom of two. She looked all put together at the time four years ago when I first met her-now we both looked frazzled from the heat, beat from taking care of children, making sure no one wandered off. Back then, I wondered how she did it-and now I'm doing the same she is-doing it as best we know how.
As much as I worry about how we'll ride out the months ahead-the mold expense in insane beyond belief, and I wonder how our bank account will look once its done, this time today has shown me there's more to life than what money we have to spend. Its about the friendships we have, the memories we make, and the total sum of sticky kisses and water soaked hugs.