I am a very lucky woman. I have several friends that have been in my life since early childhood. I have other friends I’ve met along the pathway of life and who are still very important to me every single day.
One friend is a very special one. We’ve known each other for over 30 (really, that long????) years and have shared many of life’s ups and downs. We’ve experienced the raising of our children, surviving the teen years of those same offspring, the joys and woes of marriage and now being grandmothers. We often refer to ourselves as the “tea grannies” – as we’ve solved the dilemmas of the world over a shared pot or “cuppa”.
But this friend, Alison, knows my heart and how to touch it. I turned 70 years old this year and our original plan was to take a trip to Vienna in April, visit the famed Lippizane Stallions and take in one of their world renowned performances, and enjoy site seeing on a “girls trip”. Two things put the kibosh on that plan – I was dreadfully ill in late February/March and realized it would take months to recover and, shortly after I began to recover, the Covid-19 Pandemic swept across the world putting the final nail in the coffin of our celebratory plans. I was SO looking forward to that adventure, but philosophically how could one complain?
Then, yesterday, she messaged me to say that something she had ordered as a gift for me, in lieu of our trip, had arrived. We met and she presented me with a lovely bracelet.
It was gorgeous. A pretty design was engraved on a silver background. I started to thank her and then realized it was more than a simple bracelet – it was a testament to our long friendship.
Something was engraved inside that brought tears to my eyes. Her beautiful sentiment said:
“To my best friend, thanks for coming into my life and making me feel the love of a sister. Never feel that you’re alone, no matter how near or far, I’m always right here. The best within you is the best within me. I love you. Not sisters by blood, but sisters by heart.”
Thank you, dear friend, for being my heart sister. I love you too.
Images by Ceci 