The Gift of a Friend

Since I've been lucky enough to move every few years for as long as I've been alive, I've made a lot of friends in my life. All that moving means that I've also said goodbye to a lot of friends over the years. It's not easy to sustain a friendship when you live in different states or on different continents, you know?   

Larisa Kennedy is one friend who I've managed to keep in touch with and our friendship has actually become deeper and stronger in the fifteen years since we actually lived near each other.  I'm so grateful for her friendship - it's a huge blessing in my life.  As the saying goes, it takes a long time to grow an old friend. We're going on eighteen years as friends now and I can't imagine my life without Larisa. One thing I most appreciate about her is how comfortable and at home I feel when I'm around her. No matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, we can instantly pick up as if nothing has changed and no time has passed. 

The Kennedy's friendship and influence are woven into our family's life in big and small ways. From our favorite board games to our favorite vacations, they Kennedys have been there.  As much as we can be from the other side of the world, we try to be there for their family as well. When Mark and Allison got engaged it killed me knowing that I couldn't be there for the wedding. But Jared was going to be deployed and international flights are so darned expensive - I knew there was really not a way to make it happen so I did what I do and got over it. 

We received their wedding invitation two weeks before the big day and I was bummed again to be missing the wedding. I needed to remind myself that flights across the Atlantic are pricey so that I could get over it again. So I went online and plugged in a round-trip journey from London to Detroit, just for fun. I was shocked to find a flight for £300 and overjoyed when Jared agreed that I should go for it. Larisa was as welcoming as ever and agreed to make room for me in their home at the last minute. I was so excited to have the chance to be there to celebrate the big day!

Larisa is a wonder. She's super-organized and uses that trait to plan amazing activities. The wedding weekend was filled with family time and even though I was a last minute addition and am not technically family, I was lucky enough to be invited along for all the fun. Dinner and video games at the world's coolest arcade bar, going to eat delicious Michigan food at the coolest places, mani-pedis, a side trip to buy Michigan gear for my girls, making egg rolls, playing games, and of course, the wedding itself. 




My goal for the time I'd be spending in Michigan with Larisa was to do everything I could to relieve any stress she might be feeling. I haven't yet had a child get married, but I can only imagine it has to be both very wonderful and very stressful. At the end of my time in Michigan, I felt as if she had done more for me than I could ever do for her. Having Larisa as my friend is a beautiful gift and one I can never adequately express my gratitute for. Love you Larisa!

Comments

  1. AleciaMarch 13, 2018 at 2:10 PM

    This is so sweet, not only how much she means to you but that you were willing to make sacrifices to be there for her. You're a great friend too!

    ReplyDelete

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