Twenty one years ago today.....I met my best friend.
You'll read in a moment her recollection of our meeting, but for me I can tell you that upon meeting her I would have never known just how important to me she would become. Y.A.B.E. (Young Adult Beginning Experiences) Two teenage kids who made the choice to go on a weekend retreat to sort out the grief we were dealing with, her losing her Mother to cancer and my parents going through a divorce, followed by me losing my own Mother by the hands of another. Dark times. Very.....VERY......dark times.
I was SO shy. Still am to some degree. Oftentimes it is mistaken as aloof or standoffish, which is the complete opposite of what it is. So I was doing what I do. Sitting alone, and just watching. Absorbing all the activity around me as people who knew each other got reacquainted. SO nervous to be in a situation that was unknown, and to not really know anyone there, and she was the first person to approach me. We hit it off right away and twenty one years later, here we are. Closer than we have ever been.
There is something so profound about growing up with someone. You share in their joy, in their pain, their failures and their victories. Their struggle and their freedom. Through it all, including the time we were apart, she was ALWAYS with me. They say if you love something set it free, if it comes back to you, it was always yours, if it doesn't it was never meant to be. She came back to me, and I to her.
What She Deserves...
(There is only one other person I let go although not completely. He too was always with me. He came back to me, I will never let him go again).
Would you believe we have NO pictures of us together back then? I think that's why we take so many of us together now. :)
21 Years ago...
Dear Mel,
Who knew that 21 years ago you would be one of the most important people in my life? Crazy how our circumstances bonded us and our love of NKOTB solidified us. Even crazier that their parting of ways coincided with ours and their reunion coincided with ours. So many things about them are interwoven into what is us and I will forever be grateful for that. SO many things. But I need not say another word about that because you already know.
We help each other navigate the waters of life and when I needed a life preserver you pulled me out of the water before I drowned. Again, for that I will forever be grateful. Every day you give me a reason to stand strong and tall the way I was always meant to. Your undying belief in me is unmatched. Ever encouraging, albeit at times a bit *coughpushycough* is always backed by good intention.
Your humor and quick witted mind makes me laugh and keeps me challenged. It takes intelligence to have that kind of quick wit and I admire and respect your intelligence on so many levels.
We are, and forever will be... Siamese twins joined at the heart.
I love you dearly my sister and so thankful you were the brave soul who approached me at the hearth that day. You saw something in me others did not, including myself. Thank you for never letting me forget. It is a gift I do not take for granted.
*slides you that cakey flavored Vodka drink you like and picks up my big ass Coke with extra ice*
Here's to the next 21 years. May our love for those 5 guys stay as strong as it has for the last 21 years. ;) May our laughter fill the most crowded of rooms. May our light shine brighter than a million haters. May our friendship carry us into Shady Pines with grace and dignity. And if that doesn't work, let's just do what we do best.....kick that door down and make our presence known because the two of us together are unstoppable.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SIS! I LOVE YOU! CLINK!
Love,
Cheese~
Today...
Oh, my love. *sigh* You've rendered me speechless. Congratulations...people have been trying for years. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love you, you beautiful thing.