The picture seemed to very accurately reflect each personality of this trio of friends. Becca, with her natural blond waves, expertly bending down to come to the level of her super short friends with a beaming smile. MK impeccably put together in tights and a halter, even after the long day in the sun. And me, a little more tomboy than the other two in my Mark Ingram jersey and hair falling in my face. We may have looked sweet then, but we spent the evening yelling and swearing and holding each other's hands during every third down.
This year, I was prompted to look at some other pictures of our three-woman wolf pack. This week is not only LSU week, but the week MK asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. The same day she called me, Becca finalized the details for me to order by dress for her wedding. Looking at pictures from our college days, I marveled not only at the changes, but the relationship anchors that will always stay the same. MK and I were known as the fun-sized twin pack. Running around in our petite, 5'0" frames, we laughed at the same jokes, giggled at the same cute guys, hotly debated the international political strife of the day, and always roomed together at Model UN conferences once we realized how easy it was to share clothes. Becca and I started as casual AIRC friends who somehow found ourselves drawn to each other whenever we were in the same room. We fell into complementing roles, me the obnoxious loud-mouth who would take charge, her the nurturing caregiver who would bake me cookies when I couldn't function and (lovingly) tel me to back-off when I got a little too intense.
I think the Lord put the three of us together because any one pairing wouldn't have worked out as well. MK and I look similar enough to be sisters, but often have drastically different opinions. We have promised to always be honest with one another, but when we disagree it can be really tough. Becca is the soft barrier who acts as a sounding board when we just need to step back and process the opinion the other has to offer. Becca and I are the opposite - sometimes far too similar. We have many of the same struggles and self-doubts. When you see the hardest parts of your life mirrored in your best friend, it's easy to run away. MK has always been right there, whispering (or shouting when necessary) encouragement after encouragement until we are ready to hold each other up again.
Becca and MK have their own story that is separate of me, but I have slipped in and out when needed. In on particular situation, I found myself in the hilarious role as peacemaker between them when a guy got involved. I was very out of my element, never the rational one, but they found their way back to each other like they always do.
When I met these two extraordinary women, I had no idea our lives would be so intertwined. They have seen the most important growth, the horrible stumbling blocks, and the brightest triumphs of my life. People often say friends are the family you choose, but I don't think we chose each other. I think we found each other, ending a search we didn't even know we were on. Living in three different states, we're not as close as we were living blocks from each other in college. But the test of real friendships are ones that grown to accommodate the distance. By the end of next year, we will all have been in each other's weddings. We were each other's first phone calls after getting engaged, and I'm sure we'll be the first call, text, smoke signal for everything exciting or tragic in our lives. And without a doubt, when the three of us are together, we'll find ourselves full of love and laughter.
Keep Calm and Carrier On.
No comments:
Post a Comment