My Best Friend

I believe that if you have one true friend in your life, you are a very rich person. People will come into your life at different times and stay for some period of time before moving on. You may or may not ever see these people again. You are who you are because of them.

But a true friend is the one who is there during the good times and the bad. The one who will tell you the truth, even when you don’t want to hear it. The one who will state the obvious, even when you refuse to see it. The one who will pick you up, dust you off, and help you find your way.

I have one true friend in my life. Dawn. Dawn and I met in middle school and quickly became friends. That was 25 years ago. We have been a part of each other’s lives through every major event. I can’t remember a time in my life without Dawn.

Crater Lake - 1990

We have traveled the country, and even been to Canada a few times. We have walked through Times Square at midnight; toured the White House; rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland over and over (because there was no line); drank beer at age 19 in a bar in Windsor, Canada; and even spent a romantic weekend in a cabin on a lake in the middle of nowhere Canada. Let me clarify that last one, it wasn’t romantic for the two of us, but Dawn stepped in at the last minute when my original date backed out.

Senior Year - 1992

We have spent a lot of time apart; but it never seems like it when we get together. We always seem to pick up right where we left off. We can go weeks without talking, but we never run out of things to talk about.

My wedding - 2004

Dawn stood beside me at my wedding (two actually). She took me in when my first marriage feel apart. She encouraged me to find that one thing in my life that made me happy. She supported me when I made the decision to get married again and move 250 miles away, even though it meant that we wouldn’t get to spend very much time together. She has made it a priority to come down and visit at least once a year.

A trip to Train Mountain - 2008

I am so very thankful for my one true friend. I can’t imagine my world without her.