Photo courtesy of Megan Eliza Photography
For those of you who haven't heard through Facebook, my best friend has made the remarkable decision to serve selflessly in the Peace Corps for the next 27 months and the day her journey starts has finally come. It seems like just yesterday when she made such a large decision, but really, that was months ago and here we are, many months later and her grabbing onto the handle of this door she is about to open.
We were a mere 15 years old when we met and never at that time did I know that you were going to be someone who I would want in my life for the rest of my life. All I was at the time was an insecure teenage girl who didn't like change and my sassy standoffish demeanor did not deny that. And, like the good friend she is, I'm reminded of this of all the time. But, I'm willing to bet that Susan had no idea that this sour faced girl would be someone who would become family. As I've also mentioned before, she showed up to history class one day with an entire cake in her hands and I knew she was okay after that. She was a good change.
It seems so long ago that we became friends (well, we're on 7 years, so I guess that is a long time), but I really feel that she's been part of my life for so much longer. It truly feels like she has been my sister since the day I was born. A sister who just happened to have a different set of parents, but parents who I have grown to love and look at as parents of my own. At times, I can be a hard person to love and get along with. I head butt change as much as I can, I'm more stubborn than just about every person who walks this planet, I can be incredibly standoffish, and I'm hard to get to know. None of this ever stopped Susan, and I thank the Big Man upstairs every day for blessing me with her own stubbornness of never giving up on me. And not just her refusal to not get to know me, but for the influence she's had on my entire life.
Easily one of the most friendly people I've ever met, Susan loves my family with open arms, made it known that she would beat up James should he ever hurt me, showed me that our stubbornness combined could never be beat, helped me learn to live with an open mind and heart that does not judge, has been my sounding board and voice of reason, and has pushed me to be a better person all around. When I lost touch with a lot of my friends in high school because of my knee, Susan didn't let that happen. At 15 years old, she biked from her house to mine to visit me after my surgery and didn't judge me or run away when I was there in my living room, unshowered and strapped up to a lot of scary looking machines. Instead, she gave me love and support and let me know that I wasn't alone in that horribly hard time of my life. She has continued to do the same since then and has been there through thick and thin, good and bad.
One of the biggest things that always stuck out to me about Susan was her favorite quote. At least, her favorite in high school. "Be the change you with to see in the world." A mutual friend of ours mentioned this perfectly. Susan was never out to just live, she was always out to make a difference in someone's life and to be a change. When we were 16, Susan threw a Christmas party and instead of doing a secret Santa or giving gifts, she asked that attendees bring a toy for Toys for Tots to help and give to the kids who wouldn't have gifts were it not for that organization. From the time that I've known her, she has always wanted to change the world, and here she is, being the change. Not many would be willing to give up two years of their life to kids in a third world country, purely for service. Susan is embarking to Malawi in Africa, the most impoverished country in the world. She's leaving to go serve as a teacher and teach English to these children who would otherwise not have this education. The difference she is bringing to them cannot have a value placed on it, because it is entirely priceless. A big hand goes to those who raised her, because the Susan I know is an impeccable person, a person I strive to be like all the time and try to emulate her politeness, her selflessness, and her large heart.
So, Susan, here's to you. Thank you for all of the good times we've had together, for being my Maid of Honor and my Best Friend and my sister, for all of the skype dates and phone calls, for the cake and food items in Vitale's class, for passing silly girl notes to each other in English, for being someone that I look forward to introducing to my eventual children as Aunt Susan, for including me in your life, and for giving me the best friendship I could ever have asked for. You've already been the change in my world, as you have for many other of our friends. These sweet souls in Africa are so lucky to have you give them such a sincere and priceless gift and I truly could not think of anyone better to teach them. I'm excited (but sad, of course, because I miss you heaps now and am going to miss you heaps more over the next 2 years) for this adventure and to see how much you are going to change this world after you get back. The change does not stop after, this is only the beginning. I love you, and enjoy every second in Malawi.
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