A Priceless Gift

Everyone knows what they are....most of us have had one or two good ones throughout our lives...some of us have had exceptional ones that we will never forget. I feel like I am one of the lucky few who has and always will have mine forever.

As I was reading through my Facebook wall the other day, it occurred to me how many people have at one time or another been a part of my life. Some of them for only a brief time and others for longer times. Some of them were a part of my life before my family began and some of them arrived after it started. Many of them were childhood friends, while others became friends of mine in my adult life. Whenever the time or the place in my life, they have all at some point been a part of it and I have memories of them.

There is, however, one of these people that stands out to me the most. She has been my best friend through my hardest times, happiest times, and easiest times. She has been my best friend when I felt I had no others and when I thought my world may be coming to an end. She has made me laugh, made me cry, and just been there to listen.

I believe that all of our friends are important and help mold who we become, good or bad. I believe that there are some friends out there that we were destined to know. That we chose them and knew them before we ever entered this world, why else would that bond be so strong that it is nearly unbreakable?

For me, in my life, that friend is Amanda. She has literally been my best friend my entire life. Our mom's were and still are best friends and were pregnant with us at the same time. We have had our hearts broken when my mom, brother, and I made the long move from Washington to Arizona, yet we have still maintained a long distance friendship for more than 17 years. In those 17 years we have visited each other about half a dozen times and when we see each other it feels as though no time has passed.

While she may be just my friend, she is more family to me than she may realize. We may not have the same blood running through our veins (then again who knows, I think we tried that "Blood Brothers" thing a few times). She has always been a part of my life and will continue to be.

Friendships are something that should be cherished. I have had friends in my life that I loved so dearly and then circumstances came along and changed who we were or how we acted and we suddenly had nothing in common anymore. To those friends, it is a loss...but we all grow and move on at some point. Then there are those friends that grow right along with you and you never lose that common ground.

There are probably not two people in this world that are more opposite than Amanda and I.

She is blonde and I am brunette.

She is short and I am tall.

She has brown eyes and I have blue.

She has a sister and I have a brother.

She "doesn't like kids" and I love them!! HAHA

She is great at Geography and I am horrible!

She lives in Seattle and the rain and I live in Arizona and the heat.

She is athletic and I am a mess.

She has an extremely BUSY life and mine is fairly mellow (for the most part).

She drives a car and I drive an SUV.

She lives alone and I live in a zoo!! HAHA.

However many differences we may have, at the end of the day, those don't matter at all because we have so many commonalities and we love each other. Our memories don't go away and our fondness for each other and our families is ingrained in us.

I spoke to her just the other day and we talked about relationships, families, friends, cooking, and surviving every day life. I was there to listen to her and she heard me out. It had been months since we had spoken and she said she called just to "hear my voice." It is amazing that in 27 years we have never lost what we started as toddlers. It has just matured and evolved to something better.

To my dear Amanda, I am so grateful to still call you my friend. I miss you so often but always look forward to that next visit or girls weekend. I can't wait to see you next month and hope you know how much you mean to me and how much I love you!!

Love~ Jess

Friendship is not a big thing~ it is a million little things!

1. When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge
against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you finally got laid.

4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how
much worse it could be until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well
again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

9. This is my oath..... I pledge it to the end. "Why?" you may ask;
"because you are my friend".