for my friend

miss sarah~

we have been friends since the age of twelve and have known each other even longer. you were the other girl in sunday school class who, like me, wanted to be better friends with those pig-tailed girls (pictured below, minus the pig-tails). mission accomplished. next year will mark our 20th year of friendship. whoa nelly.

we rode the bus to each other's houses. we shared cabins, bunk beds, friends, and crushes on church trips. we slept on the same bench in the church van, and somehow our friendship survived. we led worship services and cried at all the same parts. we camped (back when we camped). i told you your tummy shirt looked great on you and you assured me that my dark brown lipstick complimented my leggings and scrunch socks perfectly.

we spent hours on the phone talking about all the important things sixteen year olds talk about (aka boys). we took family vacations together. we slept in the back of bessie, waking up only to eat chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup and chocolate milk at ihop. we made up secret handshakes and nicknames for each other. we went skiing, and curled our hair before we hit the slopes. our make-up ran down our faces because we refused to wear goggles (because nobody looks cute in goggles, right?)

we traveled to europe together. twice. we moved to colorado and learned how to clean. and i mean REALLY clean. no hairs in the fridge! we roomed with complete strangers and made some great friends. we wrote in each other's journals. we have been there for each other through bad boyfriends, and when the good boyfriends did bad things. we went to college. we made new friends and assimilated them.

over the course of 19 years, you have eaten approximately 19 lbs. of candy from the my mom's candy drawer (12 lbs. being m&m's). you have borrowed and not returned approximately 19 articles of my clothing. we survived high school together, and even more importantly in my book, we managed to remain friends through some really confusing moments during our twenties. you stood up with me on my wedding day. and you were in the hospital waiting room the day my son was born.

i recently read this in an article about friendship in glamour magazine (of all places):

separation and distance are natural parts of the friendship life cycle. we grow at different rates and in different directions, and sometimes we are better apart than we are together. being out of step can be excruciating, but it can also push you to evolve in ways you otherwise wouldn't.

(from how to be forever friends, by emma mclaughlin and nicola krauss)

so what i am trying to say is, if our friendship has survived all of these things over the past 19 years, it can most definitely survive your cross-country move.

i'll end my novel-of-a-blog-post with this:

how to be a great friend (in 20 words or less) : always remind her that she's braver than she believes, stronger than she seems and smarter than she thinks. ~winnie the pooh

sarah, you are brave, strong and smart. i am sooooo proud of you. call me when you get to washington!