A LOVE LETTER...

My dear sweet friend,

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GORGEOUS!!! I so wish I was there to share it with you, but you know I am there in spirit!!

On this special day, I wanted to take a moment and thank you for over 20 years of friendship.  Not all of those years have been easy, in fact some have been pretty rotten filled with competitiveness, sprinkled with jealousy and laced with weird misunderstandings. BUT you and I conquered it all and at the end of the day our friendship has stood the test of time.

Gosh, we have known each other through some awkward stages in our lives…the high school ballet stage, the SABS stage, 

The on and off again relationships of our youth, the big life changing stages like marriage (for you), kids (for you), moving across the world (you) and the death of loved ones.  Each stage has changed us and shaped us…redefined us if you will but at the core we have always stayed the same.

We have spent hours talking about health, happiness and our dreams and desires.  We have spent hours worrying about getting older, about careers and about the future which constantly seems to change on us!  But you my friend, are an inspiration to me. The amazing way you care for others, your ability to love and love deeply (how I love the way you love me!).  The way you always seem to think differently, adding a different perspective which fills my life with colourful solutions and suggestions. You surprise me by always seeming to know what it is that I need to hear...whether it be advice or just a friendly sms or call to say you care about me.

You are a constant in my life, a reliable element that balances out the crazy and makes me feel like I can accomplish anything and everything.  I am so grateful that you have taken me with you on this journey through life.  You have shared your marriage (not in a weird way, but you know what I mean) and your beautiful darling kids with me.  Gosh you make beautiful babies…all 8 of them are pure blessings and I love being part of their lives. I am grateful that you trusted me enough to take Megan to Egypt on our Great Adventure and that you allowed me to spend that blessed quality time with my “jitterbug”. I am grateful that I have been able to visit you in the States and if God wills will do so again.  I am grateful that I have held your hand as you said a final goodbye to both your parents and I am so very grateful that God in His infinite wisdom made it possible for me to be with you after Coey passed away.  I am grateful that I have shared in simple meals of tuna pie and chips and elaborate meals with so many breads I can’t name them all.

I am grateful that I have been able to surprise you by showing up unexpectedly and I am grateful that I could raise a toast to you on your special birthday.  

I love that we can talk for hours about everything and nothing.  I love that we can pick up where we left off no matter how long it’s been since we have seen each other.

But mostly I am grateful to call you friend. Your love and friendship makes me a better person.

I pray that the year ahead will be filled with wondrous miracles and that you and your family will be blessed beyond measure and I pray that as the years go by our friendship will grow from strength to strength…

I love you…

I carry your heart with me – E E Cummings

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)
I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is you’re doing, my darling) I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you, here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)