Jeannine: My Bestest Friend

I talk about Jeannine all of the time in my blog posts, but I have never written a post about her. Time to get to it! She's my bestest friend in the whole world. And I can't imagine surviving life without her. How do I even begin to describe Jeannine? 

I met Jeannine at the bus stop on the first day of seventh grade and she has been my best friend ever since then.  In many ways we believe that after 21 years of friendship we are more than friends. We are family. As Jeannine says:  "I always wanted a sister, so I went out and found myself one in you." I so love when she says that.

Below are a couple of cute pictures of the two of us from this summer. I have a blue tongue from eating some blueberry pie! :) I like this picture because Jeannine is so goofy and so funny--and together we are even goofier! 

I also typed up a story she wrote and framed for me as a high school graduation gift. (I just think she may die of embarrassment when she sees this! I hear my phone ringing now, I think! :)) She might word things a bit differently now that she is 30-something rather than 17!

I chose to type up this story because after all of these years, it still amazes us how intertwined our lives have been.  She wrote this as we left to go to separate colleges. Right now, just like me, Jeannine is living at home where she is caring for her terminally ill mother. All these years later we find ourselves four houses down from each other again.

Here is our story, as told by Jeannine over 15 years ago. Now we're a little older, a little wiser, and closer than ever. Great comfort is found in knowing someone for so many years. We know each other's story as well as we know our own. I have learned so much from Jeannine over the years--patience, empathy, acceptance, loyalty, letting go, humor, humility, generosity, sacrifice, listening, the meaning of unconditional love.  And even through our many tears over the last few years, we always find a way to laugh--she can make me laugh every day. 

Little did we know what life had in store for us when she wrote this and how true the words would ring or how uncannily parallel our journeys would be.

Legend tells a tale of two travelers who journeyed the road of life. This is their story:

Two travelers journey on the road of life.

The road so far has been one, but now the path diverges.

As the travelers stop to rest, they spy what lies behind.

The obstacles of the past. The twists and turns of fate. The downhill joys and the uphill battles. The road behind is one of memories--good and bad, sweet and sour, but memories made together.

The travelers survived the route together.

It is said that one said to the other, "Thank you. You have laughed with me and cried with me. You have shared my sorrows and my fears. You have let me cry on your shoulder and bitch to your ears. You have listened to me. You have validated me and given me more than words can say. Thank you my friend, my best friend."

The travelers glanced at what lay ahead. The road that had been one was now two. Each gazed at the road that they would travel.

New twists and new turns appear. new hills and new obstacles. New fears and new hopes. New accomplishments and new disappointments.

More tears will be shed and more laughter will be shared. For even though the road diverges, they are parallel. So each traveler will always be able to see and reach out to each other.

As the two begin their separate journeys, they will travel alone but they will never be alone. For they have each other.

As they face the uncertainty and vagueness of the future they will find strength in one another, together, and their friendship.

Once again he travelers look behind.

Then they look ahead.

The first shaky steps are taken. The leap of change has begun.

One softly whispers, "Thank you, again. Remember I will always be here so I will not say good-bye."

The legend says that when the travelers reached the end of their separate paths, they stood at the gates of infinity. Once again they glanced at the roads behind. Instead of two separate roads, one woven path of two lives is what was seen.

I love you j! As we always say to each other: "What would I do without you?"

Blessings,

Emily

Photos: Two little old biddies (is that you you spell it?!). That's what we call ourselves these days. Here were are hanging out on my porch being goofy (as usual).