"A bosom friend --and intimate friend, you know--a really kindred spirit
to whom I can confide my inmost soul. I've dreamed of meeting her all my life."
--Anne of Green Gables
It was in first grade at Barratt Elementary School that I first met her. I remember becoming her friend but she doesn't remember much of me. (I think it was because I was "shy".) She was always fun to be around. She was smart, creative, funny and of course darling. We continued to have a mutual classmate friendship throughout the majority of elementary school. She switched schools and went to Shelly Elementary but that didn't stop us from becoming better friends when we reached Jr. High.
When we got to Jr. High we had more classes together and our friendship really started to blossom. I loved being in band with her because whenever the boys in the trumpet section were being dumb I would hang out with her and the clarinets. I also enjoyed being in PE with her. I remember one particular day when she lied to me saying she just found out she was adopted. Being the gullible person I am, I sucked up that story faster than a Hoover vacuum. I was a bit mad to find out that I had been duped but I had to admit it was a great prank.
Then one day, she moved away. I remember the day she told me was going to live with her sister in Wisconsin. Worry washed over me. I was afraid she would move away and fall in love Wisconsin and never want to come back. I was terrified that she would forget me or hate me when she got back. (I know that these feelings were irrational but I had two friends that had done that to me in elementary school, Tasia and Clarissa.)
Moving on to high school I became very involved with music. I had to fill the empty hole she left. So I did concert band and marching band. I spent the majority of my time either practicing, studying or just hanging out in the band room. One day I was standing around with some of my fellow trumpets and I glanced at the doorway and there she stood. My dearest friend came back! She smiled and called my name. I ran across the band room jumping and leaping over instrument cases and band chairs. As I tried to clear the last chair between us, my foot caught on the corner and I landed on my foot sideways spraining my ankle. As I fell to the ground, her arms extended out to me to catch me. I didn't care that I was in pain I only cared that she came back and she was still my friend.
For the rest of high school we grew closer and closer. In our senior year is when we really became inseparable. We ate lunch together everyday. She was my shoulder to lean on when I broke up with Mike. I was there by her side whenever her boyfriend decided to act like a stupid high school boy. She opened my eyes to many cultures around the world and see the beauty of every human being no matter what race, religion, social status, age or gender they are.
She and I prepared to go to college. We separately applied for Utah State University and didn't know that each other had applied. When we got our acceptance letters and shared them with each other we quickly made plans to room together our freshman year. We rode up with her parents to USU to look at housing. We roamed around some of the on campus apartments. When we walked into Jones Hall we both got a really warm feeling. We investigated the building a little bit more and came across a bulletin board completely dedicated to our favorite TV show "The Office". Upon discovering the board we received a confirming feeling that this was where we needed to live. Our first year of college was full of fantastic fun times and some really low times too. We hit a rough patch for awhile but soon we were able to recover from it. (I hope that someday she will be able to forgive me for some of my actions from during that time.)
We moved a couple of blocks away from each other but still remained best of friends. We have spent the night at each others apartments. We still have our late nights and crazy adventures. Our friendship has grown ever stronger. She has been a constant friend all through my life. She is more than just a friend, more than a best friend. She is my sister. She is my source of strength when I have none. She is my source of fun and laughter when I'm in my gloom. She is full of life, insight and wisdom. She always serves others even if they are not her favorite person in the world, and sometimes, even then, she will only serve them more. Without her, my life is not worth living.
I have found my true bosom friend. I Love Emily Alaura Shefchik. I need her to know how much she has shaped my life and helped me become who I am today. She needs to know that every day I pray that we will be by each others side when we grow old. I want to be there for her in every step of her life. Marriage, kids, school, career, church, life and death. I want to do everything I can to help her reach her goals. She deserves the best because "The Best" is what she is.
To Milly
I love you!
