To The Person Who Taught Me to Be a Friend
To Rachel Marie, the Person who Taught Me How to be a Friend, Before 2nd grade… You were simply the girl who wore dresses to school but reminded us, “it is still ok to participate in gym because I have shorts underneath.” You were the girl who was sensitive enough to cry easily when emotions ran high. You were the girl who bounced on her tippy-toes down the school halls. But sometime during 2nd grade, I came to know you as a friend. I’ve been rummaging through my memories, trying to recall how it happened. We certainly spent a lot of time together at church, so I’m guessing our road to friendship was the comfortable path of familiarity in each other’s presence. At some point… You became the person I wanted to stand by in line. You became the person I looked for on the playground. You became the person I had the courage to call and ask, “Do you want to play? Do you want to have a sleepover?” By 3rd grade,...