Still rolling after 20 years

In the beginning, it was all about the game. Twelve women, once a month, three dice.
(Correction: Twelve women, once a month, and five dice since I got the number of dice wrong at first.)

We came together to play Bunco, a mindless, dice rolling game. A modern day bridge club meets poker night. We put up five dollars at the door and hoped to leave with some cash in hand by winning most triples, most wins, most losses or the coveted Bunco Cup.

At first, we needed an escape from our responsibilities as young mothers. The average age of our children was three. We needed a night to ourselves. No husbands, no children. Just a lady's night.

Back then, many of us were just acquaintances. Now, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are more like the Ya-Ya-Sisterhood.

And though we never took an oath by candlelight or cut our hands to become blood sisters, we might as well have. We've shared each other's successes and each other's failures. We've supported each other in times of heartache and moments of celebration. We are what our families fondly call us, the Bunco Girls.

Walking in the door each month reminds me of the theme song from the old TV show, "Cheers." They're always glad I came. When I'm happy, they are happy for me. When I'm sad, they support me. But most importantly, when I'm mad, they tell me I am right.

Month after month, they have complimented my hair cuts and noticed when I've been exercising. Better yet, they've ignored my dark roots and overlooked when I've put on a few pounds. They cheered me on when I turned 40 and again when I turned 50.

They cried with me when I lost my father. They cried with me when I lost my brother. They even cried along with me when I lost my sweet family dog. But most of all, their tears have come from laughter...over a deer in the headlights, a man named Howard...just about anything you could imagine.

In the early days, we toiled about sending our kids off to preschool, we celebrated adding new babies to our families, and we helped each other navigate the waters of motherhood.

Twenty years later, we've stressed over sending our children off to college and out into the real world, we've welcomed our first grandchild, and we've continued to help each other navigate the changing tide of motherhood.

As everything in our lives has changed, our Bunco night and our friendship has been a constant... once a month, every month... and hopefully for the next 20 years.

A wise Bunco Girl once said, "We've all been on the same train." 

“Of all the secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood the most divine was humor.”

― Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood