What if this title was a Michael W. Smith song? Would You Just TOTALLY Hate Me?

There are some friends that seem to change so exponentially over the years, you find yourself asking either “How is it that we were ever friends?” or “How did you turn out so differently from me?”

Ally and Charran are absolutely NOT two of those friends! I’ve known Ally since the first grade, and Charran is literally my oldest friend in the world who I went to three-year-old preschool with! I was lucky enough to go to Dallas last weekend to see both of them, and am grateful that each time we get together we can just hit the play button on our friendship and continue on just like we’re a bunch of elementary schoolers again. Unfortunately the reason for my visit this time around was not a happy one; Charran’s dad had passed away earlier in the week and I wanted to see her in person to give her a tight hug and look at this person I’ve known for a lifetime in the eyes and tell her how truly sorry I am.

Ally and I headed to Charran’s house on Saturday afternoon, and as we drove through the neighborhoods and streets that used to be mine before my family moved away, I marveled at the changes my little corner of the world had undertaken. I didn’t recognize a lot of the area, and it made me sad to see that my childhood town has continued on without me.

Things change and the familiar turns foreign, but in those few hours that I spent with Charran and Ally, I was grateful for those things that remain unchanged. That I can look at them and see the kids we were back in the day and appreciate the fact that it's possible for a friendship to last over twenty years. We’ve grown up, had experiences apart from each other, and now lead independent lives, but drawn together even in a time of grief allowed for us to find the joy and comfort that knowing someone for so many years allows.

I'm also incredibly grateful for the friends who stick with me day in and day out and are actually interested (or so they say...hmm....) in the mundane and day-to-day events of my life. I mean seriously, Dani deserves a huge shout-out for being such a rocking friend! Dani is never too busy for me. She remembers to follow up on prayer requests, and is always genuinely concerned with the outcome. We talk about dumb stuff like The Bachelorette (Dani: “I felt like someone smashed me repeatedly over the head with a heavy object for an hour.”), and keep each other apprised of the goings-on of the friends and co-workers in each of our respective states. (Oh, and if you’re reading this blog, chances are that YES, Dani has heard extensive stories about you. Seriously, she already knows everything.)

She helps me write and edit work things sometimes when I am about to claw out my eyeballs because I JUST CAN’T LOOK AT THIS ANYMORE, and occasionally in turn I look at some of the cool logos and business cards that she is designing for her various clients and give her what I am sure is incredibly helpful feedback like “I see you went with a… FONT….for those words. And COLOR, yeah! That’s a good idea too!!!” She gives me advice about things going on in my life, and Lord knows why she seems to continue to come to me for advice as well. Dani is hilarious and wise and talented and really needs to PUBLISH A BOOK ALREADY because seriously? You are depriving the world. Dani writes a blog located here. It’s quite good, you should read it. :) Love you, friend!


Okay so seriously-- how blessed am I to have friends like this? Believe me, I never stop being thankful.