A True Friend.

There's something I've been thinking about. Or rather, someone.

There's this girl, and her name is Brianna Iverson. We met when I first went to my new school in 9th grade. I was alone, a bit intimidated, somewhat scared, and I had no friends. I would come into the cafeteria every day looking for a place to sit, and she and the other girls who soon became my friends always made room for me. I felt wanted, and like I belonged. Little did I know how amazing of a friend Brianna would be.

Through our high school years, her and I became closer. I didn't have my license so she would drive me home from school and to go hang out at her house and things like that. We talked a lot, about anything and everything. She told me things she'd never told anyone; and I did the same. (For privacy reasons, I won't repeat what she told me.) I told her my concerns with my mom, and she listened and gave me the best advice she could, even though she didn't know what I was going through. She became almost like a sister to me.

The summer after our senior year of high school was a tough one. She had decided that there was a Bible college in Iowa that she wanted to go to because other members of her family had gone there and it was a really good school. I was so happy for her - still am - but the only problem is, Iowa and Texas are about 1,000 miles apart, so I knew this meant I wouldn't see her for awhile. She spent the semester there, then came down for Christmas break. Due to personal reasons, she didn't go back. I was happy to have her back since we were so close, but my heart hurt for her because of what she was going through. I really tried my best to listen and provide a shoulder to cry on and an embrace she could feel safe in.

The summer after - this last summer, actually - we spent more time together. We went to Church, we hung out, and we went to camp together with other members of our church. Then, I found out something heartbreaking: She was going back to Iowa to live with her aunt and uncle and attend a community college up there. I was very sad, and the night before she left (it was a Wednesday night; we were at Church) we spent awhile talking and hugging and exchanging addresses and things like that. After she left, we talked a few times over the phone, and I missed her terribly. She found out what happened to my mom, and she started calling me every day to check on me, starting last Tuesday.

Whenever we talk, she tells me about her life up there and what she's doing and the different things she had planned. She's very busy, and I was talking to my sister Jenny on the phone today and realized something. Brianna always seems to make time to call me and talk to me, even with her busy schedule. She's a true friend and loves me very much even though she's so far away. She wants to make sure I'm okay, and I hope she knows I appreciate that. I really do. She has in many ways become my best friend, and like a sister to me when I needed it most and needed someone outside of my family to talk to about what I have been going through emotionally and spiritually.

It's crazy what a tragedy like losing a parent can make you realize, and how it can make you think. I've opened my eyes to so many things and have thought so differently, but that's a whole other blog post.

Brianna is a true friend. She's going to call me today, and I am going to love every second of talking to her. I want to challenge the few of you that read my blog. Call your best friend and tell him/her how much they mean to you. It might just brighten their day and bring a moment of clarity or relief from what they might be going through, much like Brianna has done for me.