Die Hard Friendship
Some seventeen years ago, right around this time of year, I made a new friend. It was the first week of junior high in late French immersion and I was away from my sister for the first time in a long time. I sat next to a girl with long strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes - one punch in the arm later and we were friends. As the year went on our friendship grew and that stranger on the bus became my bestfriend.
That stranger on the bus was Brandy and Brandy would become the very bestfriend I have ever had, that isn't related to me, haha! I think back now about all of the things that I experienced because of this friendship. Cardboard sledding, exploring abandoned daycares, being stung by a wasp, camping (many times), flying on a plane alone, Disneyland & California Adventure, Pecan Cookies, Corn Roasts on the farm - to name a few.
But what about some bigger ones - saving money, budgeting, researching, getting good grades and standing up for what you believe in - all things and qualities displayed by Brandy every day.
Things like going to university. One afternoon I went over to Brandy's house where she was applying to university online. She asked me if I had done the same - I hadn't. So right there, on the second level of her house, she showed me how to apply to university. I may have gone anyway, but I certainly wasn't prepared, I often wonder what my path may have looked like if I hadn't showed up at her house that afternoon, If she hadn't taken the time to help me through the process.
And what about marriage - we were married within two years of each other - to men we met separately - during a time we didn't keep in touch so well. As fate would have it, those men who were perfect strangers to each other, ended up being somewhere near the best of friends as well. They started out gaming together and now work the same career - to be truthful - they probably text and call each other more than Brandy and I do!
Oh and kids - we closed the gap on this one and within five months of each other we had our first babies. First babies are no easy feat - you're knocked on your butt, tired and confused - making decisions for another human life is tough. We were lucky enough to have each other through this, to have maternity leave together for more than half of a year. Our shared love of research amalgamated into an incredible wealth of things to try or explanations of why.
Yesterday morning, around seven am I received a text message asking if I was awake - Brandy was in labour with her third child. I headed over to her place to pick up her older two so she and her husband could focus on baby three. A few hours later Holly entered the world - a chubby and loved little babe. For the third time Brandy brought a human into this world. A human to be loved, who will love others, who will teach and lead, who will - no doubt - make this world a better place.
Thanks for making tiny humans to be friends with my tiny humans. Thanks for bringing me along on so many great adventures, for being another girl who liked to get dirty, play and beat the boys. Thank you for endless hours of therapeutic talks, relatable experiences, laughter and Die Hard.
Thanks for being my bestfriend.
- lovefrommaria
Comments
Post a Comment