[instagram-feed]

10 Years of Birthdays


The week before homecoming my high school boyfriend broke up with me. I had a dress but no homecoming group to go with and no date. The world felt like it was ending. In the middle of newspaper class, I poured out my soul to Erin, a girl I didn’t really know but inherently liked, about my devastation. Erin immediately invited me to join her homecoming group. 


She brought a lonely, heartbroken girl into her circle. 


That was 10 years ago. 10 whole years. 


From that point forward, Erin has been one of my best friends. More than a friend. A woman I have walked through life with and look up to. We were on the high school newspaper together, danced in Poms together, went to college together, were sorority sisters together and now live in Chicago together. (A lot of togetherness). 


We know every person each of us has ever dated. She cried with me when I found out I got a full ride to law school and I slipped notes under her sorority room door when she locked herself in her room and refused to come out after a bad heartbreak. She was there when I drank for the first time. We helped each other survive (barely) college, senior wills and always made sure the other got home safely. We have always made an effort to celebrate every birthday together. She has loved me enough to tell me when I was being a selfish brat, and I have always respected her enough to believe it. 


I have not met a person who does not like Erin. She is funny, loyal, kind and loves other people so well. After you spend time with her, you just feel better, happier, more whole and hopeful. She is quick, smart as can be and is sarcastic, in the best way possible. She’s the girl you want dancing with you at the Hange Uppe and the girl you run to when everything is falling apart- a perfect combination of lightness and depth. She was homecoming queen, captain of our Pom’s dance team and voted president of our sorority. These accolades only skim the surface of her heart and character. 

Rewind to our freshman year of college. I went down south to the University of Georgia and Erin started at the University of Illinois. After a few months trying to mesh into southern culture and not succeeding, I called Erin crying. She walked me through the transfer process and celebrated with me when I transferred to the University of Illinois. 

I had missed the Midwest, but I had also missed my friend. 


You only get a few really close friends in life and I knew my stories would always be missing something if Erin was not a part of them. 


We have changed and grown up together. Each of us in different ways. It is so rare to have a friend that relishes and respects your growth even when it is different from their own. Erin has a million good friends, but she has always made me feel like one of the special ones. 


Happy birthday, dear friend. 


Happy birthday to you and the beautiful woman you are. Thank you for being you. Thank you for 10 years of such a special friendship. 

Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.