I Want To Talk To You About THESE People:

Sometimes friends move away, drift apart, and 5 years later it's like you never even knew one another. Don't act like it isn't true. It's easy to keep a friendship vibrant when you live a twenty minute car ride and a coffee shop away from a great conversation. 

It's easy for me to know that Jeri's Saturday afternoon consisted of intently looking for a dog named Logan, a back massage that was longer than five minutes and a weird (but interesting) potato pastry. She's moving to Chicago, though. 

Jessi moved, too. She's somewhere in Virginia surrounded by new friends, a new church and has a new bedroom. We spent many late nights talking, secreting and crying in her old bedroom. Her old church was a five minute ride from my house. And, I know all her old friends. 

And KYLE. He's making a year of memories that I won't ever understand. He's doing a good work for a God who told him to go, change and be changed. But, I don't get to see him grow in it. I don't get to hear how his life is being changed by the daily, divine appointments he's making. 

Thank God, these people are not my friends. Lest, there may be no hope.

These people are not just my friends, they're not just the people I laugh with or value most - they are family. Family sticks together. In different parts of the world, in different cities of our country, my family sticks together. My family is irreplaceable.

Carolina is the new one, and yet, it's like she's always been here. She gets all of our jokes, she's cool with pregnancy packs AND she loves dogs. I don't know what kind of deal Michael had to make with the Big Man to grab such a life-long winner. But, Michael is smooth like that. He knows what he wants and he does whatever he can to keep it. You know what Michael might be one day? My kid's math teacher. Oh, and his teaching mentor just happens to be my old math teacher. He's not politically correct, so he doesn't mind shading in stick figures and laughing at how my stick figure looks different from the rest.

Scooter lives in Atlanta. But, he still includes me in fun birthday surprises for Emily. He still makes time for his family even when he's only here for a weekend. He doesn't mind mixing up some Michael's Hats and cramming 5 people into his Mustang. And, when he was all mopey and broken, who showed up? Family. We brought cookies and company. Emily is a gem. And, he's lucky to have her. She grabs life with her whole heart and isn't afraid to let you know it. She's making life plans and letting us all have a part in them. She values her family's opinion. And, I'm pretty sure she's making all the right choices. 

And, Chris. He's what holds me all together most times when everyone else happens to be caught up in their own world. He's funny and quiet. He's passionate and reserved. He's the perfect walking paradox. Chris is like the whirlwind of security that I've always needed. He puts up with my obsession for perfection, he adjusts the sheets and blankets exactly to my necessary specifications before we go to bed, he suffers the beach for me even though he burns, and he loves me when I'm ugly, when I'm mean, when I'm unlovable. 

You don't get this kind of life every time. You just don't get this group of people.

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival."
- C. S. Lewis