The Power of a Best Friend

I'm psyched because I just got my ticket to PA to visit my best friend. Which made me realize that she, more than anyone else, deserves a separate post simply because she is AWESOME. And also because for some reason some people in my life are not aware of her existence. Maybe it's because she's far away. But that definitely doesn't make her less valuable to me!



We met while working at a Christian kid's camp and had that instant connection that can't really be defined, but is vital for any friendship to work. It's the kind when you just trust the person right away and find that you can talk to them forever about anything and everything. A bunch of visits to each other's houses later -- we lived a couple hours apart -- our friendship was sealed. The "best" part of friends just kind of naturally emerged a little later. Perhaps it was because of the colorful memories and situations we were thrown into together. Like a historic snow storm that suddenly fell on Massachusetts the weekend I went to visit her, in which we went driving around an empty town until finally finding one open coffee shop where we sipped on earl grey tea and talked for hours. Or her meeting her now husband at a conference where we went together. Or us shopping for engagement rings, just for fun, and her being proposed to only a few days later, getting that exact ring that we've picked out, and asking me to be her maid of honor...



All of these memories though can't even compare with how much she's been there for me. From sound advice when I was about to settle for less in relationships, to random gifts and hilarious cards I'd receive in the mail JUST at the moment I'd need them most. The last time I went to visit her -- after two years of not seeing each other -- was probably the biggest blessing that deserves a separate mention. She didn't know it at the time, but that was the beginning of a long healing process from a bunch of destructive relationships that I was in.



Fully immersed in the drama of people who should never be allowed to be as close, I was codependent on a few of them, and utterly lost. My identity was in the wrong place. My heart was in the wrong place. Myself was nonexistent -- I forgot who I am and what I'm like. I lived through others and didn't care for relationships in my own life. Visiting her brought me back down to earth. I remembered why I value what I value. Why I think like I think. Why I believe what I believe. And why I act how I act. And I won't even mention how much love I received from her family through material things (such as covering 100% of my expenses while I was there, putting me in their brand new master bedroom with a jacuzzi, and hand-holding me through my very first time snowboarding). I've never had anyone genuinely take such good care of me before (or since).



Some people in our life just want to much off of what we have. Others become idols that feed off of our insecurities. But I've been blessed with a best friend who is truly THE BEST. And I'm super happy that I get to be a significant part of her life forever and that she's such a big part of mine. And that I'm finally going to visit her again so soon! I love you Jenny :)