It’s a Rare Thing….

I looked up rare in the dictionary this morning to find that it is defined as: unusually fine, excellent, splendid, seldom met with.

This Christmas was spent with my side of the family in Eastern Oregon. My parents are big on traditions and started many fine ones when we were little. I think my favorite, as well as my siblings, is our Christmas Eve Fondue Feast. While I was making plans for our few days at home, I talked with my best friend, who is a rare one indeed (more on this later). She mentioned (actually hinted pretty darn hard!) that she would be willing to bring her family and come spend Christmas Eve with us, and after the ok from my mom (which I knew wouldn’t be a problem), the plan was set in place.

This big feast is a big deal in our family! We talk for months about what we will be eating (devouring is more like it but I don’t want you to think we are barbaric or anything) and then the day of our celebration, we head to town (Yes, we have to go to another town to stock up as the little grocery store here doesn’t have much in the way exotic foods…) to buy the supplies. Our main entry is the fondue, which consists of a selection of fish, shrimp, and marinated steak dipped in a batter and deep fried in hot oil in the fondue pots. Also on the table is a spread of meats and cheeses, fruits, veggies and chips with dip, cheese ball and crackers, etc. This meal takes several hours to prepare and set up, followed by a good hour or so of eating and not much talking.

It meant so much to me to have my family as well as my best bud share this special evening with us. Memories are always made when we are all together and you can’t ever replace or make those up.

Anyway, back to my RARE entry: Friendship is something that I am very passionate about. I don’t take it lightly and I am 100% devoted to my friends, as well as their families. Best Friends, I realize, are very hard and RARE to come by. And even harder to keep, especially when miles (distances we live apart from each other) and years (how long we have been BF’s) are between you. T and I have been best of friends since about the 8th grade, when she moved to my hometown. Strangely our personalities are very similar and if you are on the receiving end of them, they can be deadly for you. We are very passionate about our likes and interests and our minds go a hundred miles an hour, usually in the same direction. We are tuned into each other and can usually finish each others sentences and thoughts (when the other can get a word in..).

We have been through it all together: school, deaths of very loved grandparents, nannies in New York, boyfriends, marriages, divorce, children, infertility issues, very personal issues, and finally contentment—where we both seem to be now with our lives, marriages, family, etc.

Our friendship is RARE in that it is going on 25+ years and is stronger than ever. We can go a week or two without talking (due to busy lives), pick up the phone and start where we left off last time, both of us fighting to get a word in. We can usually sense when one needs to talk and the phone will ring with a very lengthy conversation to follow. We have talked and cried together on the phone for hours and usually still have more to say. I realize that most friendships do not last this long and I do not take this lightly or take it for granted. I know I am blessed to have her in my life and I know that we will be friends until the end. This friendship is RARE, I know….

I remember shortly after got I married and moved to CA to be with the love of my life, I became incredibly homesick. I was laying in bed, crying uncontrollably with my husband by my side, who was trying to console me the best he could. It was late--10:30 or so and the phone rang. It was T, calling to say hi. I remember my DH handing me the phone with tears in his eyes, and I put the phone to my ear, crying so hard I couldn’t talk. T talked to me and cried with me and let me know that even though we were miles apart, she was still there for me. She has no idea how much that helped me get through the next day, week, month, and year. It was amazing that she would know that at that exact minute I needed her phone call more than anything in the whole wide world....but that is our friendship for you. There is no way to describe the closeness or bond that we share. We know we are blessed and that this friendship is a RARE one indeed.

We joke that when we are old and widowed we will live side by side, somewhere. Our daily schedule will include sitting on the front porch, rocking in our rocking chairs, making fun of the people walking by (Don’t laugh, you’ve probably been the butt of one or more of our laughs-he he he!), sipping ice tea, and sharing teeth if eating is involved (which I am sure will be with T. around). While we joke about this, I am sure there is probably going to be some truth to it as well. And, to be honest, there is nothing in the world that I would rather do than spend my days making fun of people and hanging with my best friend…..

RARE indeed!!