Four years ago this spring I was counting down the days to my college graduation and, more importantly, our wedding. We were apart for 11 of the 13 months of engagement and I was more than ready to be done with school and become a wife to my man.
In April my fiancée made the drive out to school to be my date at the spring formal. To be honest, I just wanted to be with him and didn’t want to bother with everyone else. He didn’t know anyone at the dance and I think he just wanted to be with me, too. But then, somehow, he sat down at a table just off the dance floor and started talking to JD, the boyfriend of one of my sorority sisters. I didn’t know her well, but somehow the boys hit it off and talked about March madness and how they both wanted to go to law school.
Three months later my fiancée and I got married. The sorority sister and her boyfriend got engaged.
A year and three months later my husband started law school. The sorority sister and her fiancée got married. And they moved to Minneapolis. We had them over for dinner like good sorority sisters do. I think I even wore blue and blue.
The weeks and months passed. Then one day we found out that the boyfriend-turned-fiancée-turned-husband had gotten into law school too. Suddenly, that March madness/basketball/sorority formal interaction became a bit closer. My husband and her husband traded law school war stories. They shared outlining tips and bemoaned legal research and writing.
Last September, she got a job with me at Target. For the past six months she’s worked three floors below me. And just a few weeks ago, he got a job at the firm where my husband works. They will be working in the same tiny back office on the same projects with the same attorneys.
But here’s the best thing about this friend: I used to think she was crazy but I’ve truly fallen in love with her. She’s bubbly, gets excited over the smallest things, and makes me laugh at myself. She’s a good listener, very wise, and loves her husband and respects him and makes sure the world knows it. I want to be like her. Being around her forces me out of my shell and helps me see the world in a whole new way. God sent her to me just when I needed her most. I’m so thankful.
The craziest part? She grew up celebrating her half-birthday too. Our husbands think it is a holiday we’ve made up to get stuff. So we decided to just celebrate together. Last week she ordered me this dress pattern for my half-birthday because I loved it so much. It was supposed to be a surprise. The problem is I ordered it for her birthday because I wanted to make it for her and surprise her. And we realized this at the same time yesterday afternoon. So now we have two.
So today, I’m celebrating my half-birthday friend and the gift God has given me in her.
