Hannah is the friend I have known the longest out of all these April birthdays. I met her in 4th grade when we moved next door to one another out in the country and we also went to Mrs. Roland's 4th grade class together. We were friends in the way that self-centered, emotional 4th grade girls are friends. After that I was home schooled and we didn't see one another much until high school. We hung out in the same group of friends in high school and we would laugh and joke but when we were Sophmores in High School Hannah's dad died really suddenly and our friendship became a little more real. Hannah is hillarious but it was the ability to laugh and cry together that brought depth to our friendship. I'd say we became besties our senior year because she had a car and I didn't. I hated having to ask her for rides all the time but all that time together became something we looked foreward to. We had some crazy car rides, lots of talks about the boys we liked and hours of fun throwing dance parties!
Hannah is getting married this Fall and I have the honor of being in her wedding. Hannah is wonderfully original and artistic. Hannah is known for her humor (and her great dance moves) but what I love most is when you break past all the funny stuff and get to see the gooy tender middle :-)
Mary is one of my bestest friends ever! She and I met our freshman year at Covenant College and I have to say that she has been a major influence in my life. Mary has taught me so much about what is means to love people. She is very thoughtful and giving to those around her. Mary is for me. She loves the people I love, she wants to know about my life and she cares about the tiny stuff that other people think is silly. Mary loves the Lord. If she tells you she is going to pray for you she will. She is faithful to pursue the Lord and she is hungry to follow after him. In fact faithfulness is a perfect word for Mary. You always know that Mary will follow through. She is also very creative. She has an eye for order and detail and beauty and she uses those gifts to bless others. Mary's honesty is a sometimes a shock because she is so sweet most the time. But her sweetness has that bite that gives her genuine depth. I love this girl and I am so blessed to know her!
Alina is my only friend that has spanned both my college world and my California world. Alina is more like family than just a friend. We have shared some really fun times as well as the loss of a good friend, the birth of her child, a semester abroad, some famous fights, numerous jam sessions, a few cycles of depression, a bunch of weddings and quite a number of vacations and holidays. Alena is honest and quirky, yet just when I start thinking she is a major dork this super cool girl shines through. I remember the first time I met her our freshman year of college thinking, "I want to be friends with that girl." Alina has dreams and she does things about them. Even though she is always talking about her fear when it comes to pursuing her love of photography or cooking or writing, she does them all the time. She has taught me how to look at everyday moments as beautiful. Her photography takes delight in all the vibrant colors, unique lighting or beautiful grouping of the things that lie around your house or that you make for lunch. More than anything I appreciate Alina's persistence. She and I are very different people and we haven't always found it easy to understand one another and yet she has continued to pursue and forgive and love and make herself vulnerable to me. Not only that but she often shocks me with her amazing insight. Watch out for this girl, she is paying attention!
Anita is Rachel's biological mother. Even a year ago I felt very cautious around her. I didn't know if I could trust her and it was hard for me to share Rachel with her. Anita has had a hard life and has wounds that may never heal in this life but I have been blessed by her over the last year because she has shown me over and over that she truly wants what is best for Rachel even over what is best for herself. When Rachel is unkind to me or tries to put a wedge between us Anita makes the choice to be supportive of me. We are in an unusual situation and it's amazing that we can work together to allow Rachel to know both of us as her mother, but in different ways. Rachel and I were able to throw a little birthday party for Anita a few weeks ago. She really doesn't have many people in her life so this meant a lot to her. I posted a few pictures below :-)
April aka Apes. It's been so long since I have seen this friend in person that I had to steal a current picture of her off her Facebook. I love April's way of looking at life. She is strong and intelligent and full of conviction and vision yet she is tender. She isn't afraid to cry, or question something that is difficult and her care runs deeply and can be seen on her face. When April isn't all these things she is bouncy. Not in a cheerleader kind of way, in the way a deer bounds, it's just a part of her. She loves sports and the outdoors and silly adventures and kookie songs about Halloween. Even though she often looks sophisticated and likes "cool" music she is unashamed to put Celine Dion and Michael W. Smith on every one of her yearly mixed CD's. I often feel like there is just some part of April and I that is kindred. We are really different in certain ways but there is something about her that makes sense to me. I can't quite put my finger on it but I've always felt that way about her and I'm glad we are friends, even over the miles and in spite of our poor job at keeping in touch :-)
Sydney is an old friend from Chattanooga. He and I were inseparable the last year I lived there. We were really an unlikely pair, brought together by the wacky schedule we worked at the methadone clinic, and by some unseen bond. I haven't talked to Sydney in a long time and I sort of thought I never would again but he called this week and it was fun to remember how much we knew about one another and how utterly ridiculous and irresponsible the guy is. Sydney aspires to be a comedian I think. He lives in New York and his morals and world view are totally different than my own and yet I have a great affection for him. Sydney taught me how to stop taking myself so seriously and helped make an adventure out of a strange phase of my life. Sydney is also a dreamer and even though he is pretty unmotivated it was fun to be free to laugh and dream about being a cook on an Amtrak train or starting a radio talk show when we were on a road trip or just having a beer. We spent a lot of lazy afternoons doing nothing and talking about nothing and for that I love this guy.
When I realize how lonely life is for many people I feel so greatful for all the amazing friendships God has given me. I have been practicing delighting the Lord and I have to say that I delight in the month of April and in all that ways it has changed me! Thank you Lord!!!
2 comments:
Oh, my heart is happy. I almost cried reading this post. Thank you my dear friend. You're really too kind. God has been gracious to us, really. I was just thinking the other day about how we would tell people we could marry each other we were such a perfect fit -- ha, ha. Yep, I think we could have lived as BFFs togetha foreva. I too have learned so much from you, and God has used you to shape me tremendously. (I always think about our Mary-wants-to-control-her-life-too-much talks . . . such good reminders to live each day by faith). I remember crying SOOOO hard on my long ride home after college and leaving you.
Anyways . . . let's not cry too much now. What an awesome tribute to Alina and Apes too! I had to laugh at the bounding-deer visual . . . remembering our animal designations . . . AC, our little squirrel . . . poor thing. (Oh, those car rides . . . practically killed me . . . with "Would you Rather?" . . . heaven help me! . . . but, I think I could go for another one of those any day now.)
What precious friendships!
Love you to you my dear Brookie . . .
Brooke, thank you for the amazing words of flattery and encouragement! i'm kind of embarrassed, but in a good way :) i'm coming back to life after grueling work getting ready for graduation. i graduate in 6 days! still have 2 major things left, but plugging away. it was lovely to read these words in the midst of my studying. a lovely surprise. thank you!
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