Authentic Friendship

Aside from optimism and positivity, a topic that I enjoy writing about is friendship. One of the most blessed gifts I have in my life is my friends. Near and dear and even far away, and as cliche as it sounds, my friends simply make my life. I am lucky enough to have friends that I adore, friends that have dreams of all sizes and hearts that are larger than life. A good, loyal, unconditionally loving friend is hard to find. I'm blessed to have had a small handful of them since my childhood, and even more blessed to have added to the group once I entered college. My first college friends were the ones that stuck around the longest, and will stick together for life.

A revelation of just how luck I am came just ten days ago. My birthday was a surprisingly fun day this year, despite the fact that I wasn't exactly excited to turn 27. I kept it low key, spending a quiet night in with my best friend of all, and visiting friends in New York the next day. However, it turned into a fabulous weekend, but even more so, it made me realize just how lucky I am.

I learned, although I already knew, just how well my friends know me. I have some favorite things that are quite obvious, but my friends really impressed me with their unending love and support this time around. I received a gift in the mail from CS in Texas with a few of my favorite things, as well as a nice box from CFM in Washington DC with even more of my favorite things. Across the miles they delivered the smiles. My shelves are full with cards that came from Ohio, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and even places closer to home, displaying more of my favorite things- positive quotes, peacocks, and pretty pictures. My friends took time to choose a card that they felt described me, and in some cases, the cards were accompanied with small surprises that also described who I am. January 10th is the only day of the year that I can be selfish for good reason, without feeling guilty. However, to me birthdays are not about the gifts, but rather birthdays are about giving thanks for another year of life filled with love and blessings, and about spending time together with loved ones and recognizing another year gone by.

I did receive a very thoughtful, and quite awesome gift that brought me to silent tears. RM had gotten all of my closest friends and family together via the computer screen and asked for different stories, memories, or untold tales of our awesome friendships that were put together into a beautifully bound book. I was instantly shy and wondered why I deserved all of this love, while at the same time being surprised with every turn of the page. I skimmed through the pictures and headings, and blurbs of what my friends wrote, but when I say down by myself two days later to read the book from cover to cover, I was blown away. My friends are the most supportive, loving, amazing, generous, and simply awesome friends anyone can ask for. They told stories about things I had forgotten, recalled memories of things I did to make them smile. They used such gracious words to describe me that I felt shy and exposed. For being the most thoughtful person in my life, I shouldn't have been surprised that he came up with the most thoughtful gift, one I will cherish for the rest of my life. My friends know me better than I do, which is what makes them truly spectacular. Not a day goes by that I don't carry my friends in my heart and say prayers for them and their well-being throughout this life. I was overjoyed and so pleasantly surprised at the love that I was given on my birthday from my love, my family, and my incredible best friends. To you, my friends who made my birthday spectacular and who make every day a good day- a virtual shout out and a huge thank you for filling my life with happiness and joy, and for just being you!