Thanks.
Let’s just start right there.
Thank you for bringing your uniqueness into my life.
Every single one of you brings something different.
Whether it’s shared tragedies, likes, or dislikes you make me feel more validated as a person than I would if you didn’t exist. You let me know its ok to be crazy. You let me laugh at myself, with you, and at you. You let me cry, sometimes with you, sometimes the tears are just my own. You let me call you up when life is crazy and I’m pretty sure the path I was so sure about is crumbling away at my feet. You talk me back into rational thinking, you bring me to a place of peace. You let me know I don’t have to get it all right on the first try. You call me out when I’m out of line. And in the same way encourage me to test the waters, the boundaries, and the rules.
You let me be me. Crazy, awkward, slightly obnoxious, me.
You’re shining examples of what unconditional love looks like, sticking it out through the good times and the bad.
When I was younger I believed that marriage was the rule.
That someday we would all find someone and we’d settle down and build families.
That’s what the fairytales showed. That’s what our families implied as they joked about us having a crush or how we couldn’t date until we reached 30.
And yet as I got older I realized that being single is the rule and marriage is the exception. We’re not all guaranteed that one person to walk into our lives and spend forever with. They may last a long time. They may only last a season or two. It may not be a bad catastrophic ending, but in the same way, it might be just that.
What I’ve come to find is that, you ladies that have become a part of this giant family I hold in my heart, hang out for a good long while. You all come from different walks of life. Some paths have been smoother than others. Some trials have tested some while others have passed with flying colors. None the less, you’re up when I’m up. You’re down when I’m down. You pray for me, you plot revenge with me, you laugh with me, and sometimes dry my tears. I couldn’t ever ask for anything more.
For someone who has seen a lot of broken relationships it’s hard for me to hold any hope beyond just a shallow crush. But you’re there when I’m gushing about how awesome this guy is and believing I may have found my exception. And then you’re there when I’m fighting back tears, pretending it doesn’t hurt as it turns into yet another dead end. You listen as I swear off love and relationships for life and plan the renovations on my mobile home and epic stable I’ll someday have with all the money I’ll save by not having a wedding. And you’ll hold your breath as I inevitably fall again, praying I’ve found my exception, but at the ready in case it all falls apart yet again.
What it comes back to every time is that you all are always there. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly. You don’t run when the going gets tough. You’re there through sickness and in health. Y’all are the real MVPs. Each one of you is like a light house guiding me through the rough waters of life. Never doubt your purpose or the finger prints you leave on the lives you touch. I wouldn’t be who I am today without y’all.
Thanks for being you ladies. And thanks for being there for me.
Cheers to more years of crazy beautiful friendship. <3
