she was there
6th grade Communicative Skills (at least I think that was what it was called).
She sat near me – curly hair with a friendly smile.
I was lonely, struggling with finding new friends.
20+ years later she is still one of my closest friends.
She helped me through middle school drama and high school crushes.
She sang in my wedding.
She was at the hospital when my first son was born. And then my second son. And then my third son. And then my first daughter.
She was at the airport when we arrived home with our second daughter.
Basically every major event in my life – she was there.
I’ve got to be there for her a few times too. I got to help her through middle school drama and high school crushes. I got to stand next to her in her wedding (I sure didn’t sing). I got to hear her voice on the phone after her first son was born and she stood in the hospital with the mom that chose life for him. I got to hear her voice again as she rallied by her second son’s NICU crib and supported his birth mom when he was born far too many weeks early.
And most recently, I got to capture her as a radiant mom days before she met her daughter.
I also got to be there the day her girl arrived!
20 years ago. 6th grade. My oldest is in 4th grade. It is wild to think he could soon (or might already have) a life long friend. I hope so – he’s got a lot of great friends! I feel too young to have a friend of 20+ years. I still kind of feel 20. Then again, when I think of all the memories I share with Rachel – a little more than 20 years seems too short to fit all that in!
It is a beautiful thing to have friends that know my story – from teenage acne and really bad haircuts to chasing five kids. There is something really significant about friendships that endure over time. I hope each of my kids grow up with a Rachel in their lives.
I was going to end this post with a really old picture of us, but upon looking at all those old pictures…I’m just going to leave them and the memory of our really awkward years in the albums!
