On Finding Friendship

After a solid two hours on the phone with one of my dearest friends, I have found myself back at the keyboard to share the thoughts that she put into my head.

A conversation about how short life is and how we should cherish the moments we have with the people who mean the most to us lead us to the conclusion that we are thankful. It seems so simple, but it is so often forgotten. Friends are often forgotten. Moments are often taken for granted. People fade in and out of our lives. It seems rare these days that someone sticks around to see you through the hard times and celebrate with you in the good times. The people I would have called with an exciting story two years ago are completely different in this chapter of my life. And I find myself hoping and praying that she will be on that “list” forever. That no matter where we are (California, Jacksonville, Spain, New York or the top bunk) or what we are doing (celebrating a birthday, searching for jobs, studying for the most important test of our lives, lying on the couch, or giddy with anticipation of what’s to come) she will always be one of the first people I call.

It takes a rare friend to remind you of what’s important in life, make you laugh and make you feel utterly and completely at home in one phone conversation from miles apart. But in the last two years of my life, she has been that person.

I have always been a self-proclaimed “terrible pen-pal”. As a military brat, I said goodbye to many “best friends” in my life. So, in my mind, my continued friendship with her is a testament of just how important she is to me. Despite that fact that months have sometimes passed between conversations, she is the one person I can call to just to say hello and end up crouched on the floor with my phone plugged in because the battery managed to drain completely in our “brief” game of catch-up.

While I have other friends who mean the world to me, I have to take a minute and thank her for reminding me of how precious true friendship really is. In yesterday’s sermon at church I learned that a true friend is committed, trustworthy, constructive, encouraging, loving and real. She is every one of these things and I am incredibly lucky to have her in my life.

So, my dear friend, as someone who never hangs up the phone angry and the fan-club president of Swamp Gravy, you deserve to be reminded of how precious you are to me. Thank you for always encouraging me and for always being on the same page as me even though we may be reading entirely different books. You truly are a sister to me for many more reasons than the secrets and the bond we share. I hope you never leave me not knowing that.

I love you.