Friends: PICS Added

The end of my fourth grade year my father, the Navy man, got orders to  move to Virginia. At the time my family and I lived on the outskirts of town in Mississippi. The dusty, rural roads made almost every home look like a small farm. It also didn't help that most of my neighbors had hogs, chickens,  or snapper turtles they caught from the creek. I didn't know much about Virginia, but the thought of moving there was exciting. 

It was the summer of my fifth grade year when we arrived in in the commonwealth to begin our new lives. I remember feeling nervous and anxious about living in a new place,  and I often wondered how people  would embrace a tomboy, countrified girl like me.  Luckily for me the first friend I made in Virginia was a Tomboy named Pam who loved boy stuff even more than me.

Pam & her amazing sisters. Pam is on the far left. I love their spirits.

Pam was everything I wasn’t. She was tough, and pretty in an effortless way. Somehow the girl made scuffed jeans and a flannel shirt look cute.  Boys were constantly checking her out. She was oblivious to their affections. Pam had bigger things to worry about like, nabbing the TLC 'Crazy, Sexy, Cool' album or balling up her fist to let a boy knew she was serious. She took very little bullshit. 

  Whenever someone said something mean or cruel to me, Pam would step in front of me, and give them the most intense stare. I never saw her actually hit anyone, but it seemed like no one wanted to press their luck finding out if her jab was as fierce as her gaze. I also loved that Pammy didn’t give a damn what anyone thought of her. Most of the boys at our bus stop adored her, but the ones that didn’t Pammy paid no mind.  I hoped that some of her confidence would rub off on me, sadly it didn’t.  She fought a lot of my battles, and by her side there were times I felt invincible.

Pam and I were best friends my entire fifth grade year. We did the quirkiest things. One boring summer day, we buried all of our old teenage notes in a time capsule. The idea was to go back and dig them up ten years later. I pray no one found those letters. I don’t want to see inside the mind of my elementary girl self; I imagine they are hilarious though. Now many moons later, Pam and I have very different lives.  She is a mother and lives in the country. I am a single woman living in the suburbs with three fur babies who do not consider me an Alpha dog. Such is life. Even though we’re on different ends of the spectrum I will always consider her my road dog, my tomboy friend, my sister from another mister.

I learned a lot of core values about friendship from Pam, things like loyalty, trustworthiness, the power of humor, supporting one another, the golden rule, and how critical it is to always have your girlfriend’s back. I carried all of those lessons with me into my high school friendships and into adulthood.

 Let me tell you how amazing this chick was. We both had a crush on the same guy in elementary school.  As luck would have it he liked Pam not me. He asked her out to the school dance on a Thursday. That Friday he was at my door asking me the same thing, why you ask? Pam being the class act she was turned him down.  Not feeling extremely confident in myself I jumped at the chance to be on my crush’s arm at the school dance.My mother bought me a white dress with huge red flowers from Fashion Bug and, Pam couldn't be happier for me.  She was super supportive of me going to the dance with our crush.  I’m sure you are wondering how this turned out. Well I got so nervous I almost fainted; I ditched my crush at the dance. Like always Pammy there to pick me up.

“He wasn’t all that anyway,” she said.
“Pammy I blew it. No guy is every gonna ask me out now,” I replied wiping tears from my face.
“His loss girl! Besides who needs boys anyway?”

That was so typical Pammy. She helped you brush yourself off, and get back up. She will always have a special place in my heart.  Even now in my thirties, whenever I think about friendship I think of my fifth grade year with Pammy. Proverbs 21:17 reads, ‘As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend.’  This scripture basically means that real friends motivate you, inspire, and sharpen you to be better. They push you to cut through life’s hardships, and get back up a stronger person.

I’ve been blessed to have several friends who have sharpen me. I have professional mentors who saw things in me I never knew possible, and motivated me to reach for my dreams. I have childhood friends who have loved me through my ups and downs. I have guy friends who help me realize my beauty and worthiness.  I have girlfriends who act as the sisters I’ve always wanted in my life. I could go on, but there isn’t enough paper to write how much my friends mean to me.
To everyone who called, texted, and wrote me during my tough time last year; there are no words to thank you for your love. Now that I’m back chasing my dreams, I’m so happy so many of you want to go on this journey with me.
Love you, Love God More