Day 44: Your Friends, 100 Days to Brave (Advent, Day 6)

In Mr. Paul's fourth grade class I was a new student. It was the very early 90's and I had just moved from a neighboring elementary school into this new one. For whatever reasons, a handful of things shine very brightly in my fourth-grade memory bank.

*Mr. Paul always watched The Price is Right when we dismissed to go to lunch.

*That time Mr. R. stole the deck of cards -in plain sight!- while he substituted for our class.

*My black loafers with the bedazzled jewels on them.

*And sitting between Henry Kline who was very handsome and Chantele, who had twin sisters.

In fourth grade I also befriended the girl with the perm. Very curly. Her arm was in a sling and she wore big glasses. Jen. She and I became quick friends and years later, I was there to hold her left leg as she welcomed her baby girl, Alexis, into the world. 

Nikki and I were two kindred spirits right from the start during high school. We shared a mutual infatuation of the 70's, joined the school's flag team together, and underwent a huge disagreement on prom night which had us ignoring one another for months. Eventually all was resolved and it was I who was in the room with her when she got her first tattoo, the word, "Volkswagen" written in cursive, purple, ink.

Jayne lived up the street from me, her house always immaculate and her bedroom, a beautiful pink with ballerinas on the walls, made me envious to my core. "Smart Jayne" we called her. When we were in our early twenties, she announced to her mom and grandmother, with whom she lived, that she was pregnant just like that and my eyes darn near popped out of my head for all of her guts and ability to be so frank. 

Denise came later, and initially we had the stink eye for one another because we were both crushing on the same guy, Justin. Once we got over ourselves, we shared a hundred adventures, bowls of  Aldi brand macaroni and cheese (yes, please!), and laughs together. 

At college, it was Liz. 

While in California, Julie. 

North Carolina, Travita. 

In Germany, Minnie, the cat. 

Always a dear friend to find wherever one is in the world.

Your friends are important. Like, really important. 

Mercifully, I can call any of these friends above and we can pick up wherever we left off. Somehow the love for one another has been mutual and has remained through so much time and space. 

You need to be brave and let people get close enough to speak into your life. The gift of community is so sweet, but you have to be brave and let down your defenses to develop those relationships in your life.  ...I am a better Annie because of those humans.... My cup runneth over for sure. I am so thankful that they were brave enough to let me into their lives and that I was brave enough to let them into mine. 

Be Brave: 

Pick up your phone and call a friend you haven't seen in awhile. 

Advent, Day 6:

The Stroller