Friendship

Taylor and Anna,

In this life, I hope you each find a friend as amazing as Alice.  

Her birthday is a few weeks away and her husband is collecting letters to Alice and pictures 

for a book to give her on her birthday.  

Sadly (or not) I couldn't find pictures of us when we first met nearly 20 years ago.

About 10 years ago, I think we peaked.  Our styles were not great in the 90s, and now, we have age and gravity working against one of us (not Alice).

Anyway.  I wrote Alice a letter and share it with you here.  

I really do hope that in this life, other than each other, you have a friend like Ali.

My Dear Alicia,

We stepped off a plane into a sea of dark faces, all speaking a language we vaguely understood.  

Those steps were the first of what has become a life-long friendship. 

 As Jeremiah has often remarked, many relationships that begin in Mexico, 

they have a 24-hour clock on them -- they start strong, 

but when the drinks wear off, you can't wait to get out.  

Luckily, ours couldn’t have been more different.  

Over nearly two decades of friendship you have brought so much to my life- 

from waxed eyebrows, to the idea that you can actually make finding a dress 

(prom and rehearsal dinner to name a few) into an actual critical mission, 

to a love of adventure and country music.  

Alice, some of the things I love the most about you are your kind heart, 

great devotion to your family and friends, phenomenal sense of style, 

sarcastic wit, and incredible patience with Harper and Ollie.

As the years have moved on and we have gone from two teens in Mexico to two women- 

we have celebrated graduations, first jobs, first apartments, marriages, 

moves around the world (not really mine since I am 8 miles from the home 

where I lived when we met, but yours:)) the arrival of our five children,

 and we have carried each other through broken hearts, tough days at work or with our kids, 

and you have been my strength 

when I couldn't manage in the year since my dad died.  

Alice, you are a steady presence in times of joy, chaos, and sorrow.  

You always have the perfect words, the right joke, 

or the most incredible gift to make a moment feel remarkable.  

I treasure our times together for all these reasons and love that Taylor, Anna and Hudson

 know you as a part of their lives too.  

So- I raise a glass to you as you celebrate 35!  You are amazing and I am so lucky that your dad paid you $5 to be my friend.  I end with this quote from Jon Katz

“I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, 

stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. 

Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, 

don't take them for granted. 

Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. 

Powerful stuff.” 

xoxo

tinna