This girl and I have lived through so much together, even over many years of not living in the same town (though I've especially loved when we have). She knows every inch of my soul. The good, the bad, the saintly, the dirty, the perfect, the messy. All of it. And loves me for every piece of it as much as I love her for all of hers. It's amazing how we both sit in awe of each others' strengths... and quirks... and what stirs us. We've been planning our meet up in New Orleans in a couple of short weeks from now (squee!), and she texted me yesterday out of the blue and asked me if we could go to her favorite hat store after we go to the Fluevog store (this will be my FIRST Fluevog in-store experience... I almost can't believe it, and her first time in person at her hat store... thank you, Internet). I never mentioned the Fluevog store. She just knew we'd go. Just like she always just knows everything without me saying it. That's also why we kick so much ass at Pictionary together. Either of us can draw the first inch of a line or a squiggle, and the other will automatically know it's a swing set. Or a clown. Or whatever it's supposed to be. I can read her facial expressions like they were my own. And vice versa. Last time she spent the night at my house, we each lay awake in separate rooms unable to sleep, but there were too many people here that night that we'd surely have woken up others if we got up to actually talk that night. So we just talked with our minds in a way, I guess. Unsaid things might as well have actually been said between us. We have a strange kind of ESP with each other. Always have.
The birthday present she gave me this year is a handmade piece of jewelry from a Louisiana jewelry maker called Mimosa. And it is the most wonderful bracelet. I've never been much on wearing bracelets. Watches, sure. But I don't remember loving any bracelets ever since I had an arm-full of those hand woven ones from summer camp friends in junior high. But this one... I find I wear it almost every day. It reminds me of what is most beautiful in this life, in this world. I even store it in it's own beautiful ceramic jar all by itself. And I'm ever grateful for what it represents to me.
We were eating some delicious meat pies when she gave it to me this past October, and I remember getting teary reading the card that came with it sitting there in that restaurant. Here's the front and back of the card:
I love re-reading this card. It sums up everything that truly matters in life to me. (And it's even Irish... I mean come on.) And Rachel is a beautiful symbol of that. Actually, Rachel and I are a beautiful symbol of that. It's the bond that is so lovely.
I like to text her random photos sometimes when I wear it and stop and think of her, just so she knows.
Like this one, taken just now. This next one's from not too long ago.
And another from sometime before that.
You get the idea.
So... I love this bracelet and how it symbolizes the me, the we, that we are capable of.
Anam Cara. 💗
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