My Friendship Chain

I mark my life with my friends. Some people have scrapbooks filled with memories of their life, but my memories are almost all wrapped firmly around my friends. I collect them. Like a trail along my life, I mark every twist and turn in my path with the people I picked up along the way. And my life has had more twists and turns than the Snake River. From every wildly divergent, hair-brained experiment in rediscovery, I have a friend or two who keep walking along this meandering journey with me. Whenever I feel alone I just have to count back.

It started on the first day of first grade. I picked up my first very best, sleepover and giggling friend on that day. I have dragged her along with me through junior high, high school, living together in college and beyond. My life wouldn't be my life without her. When she and her little boy got in a terrible crash last year I thought about just how empty the world would be if she weren't in it.

From there I just kept adding to my collection. My first college roommate, the Statesman people, my mission buddies, the China crew, my world trip partners, the Habitours, the Covey crowd, the law school trio, the WOWs, my chakra sisters, the cycle chicks and Provo people, the daiquiri darlings, the book-club beauties, the boy brokers, the bunko babes and most recently my SunCrest soul mates.

This has been a stellar friend year. My mates on the mountain have already changed me and now my life just wouldn't be my life without them either. Lucky me.