To My Best Friend from Another Life

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Somebody asked if I knew you. A million memories flashed through my mind, but I just smiled and said I used to. From day one, we were thick as thieves, our friendship knew no bounds. Our history is so intertwined that I have memories that I’m not sure are mine or yours.

We Had THAT Kind of Friendship

When I think of my past, there’s always you. Our friendship was the kind people envied, the kind people write about. Whenever I needed you, you were there.

You were the Rory to my Lane, the Blair to my Serena, the Cristina to my Meredith.

We spent all night talking about our lives and where we would be when we turned 25. We thought things would always be the same. College, weddings, futures—we talked about it all. We imagined what our husbands and kids would be like. And we swore that they would grow up to be best friends like us, or else

We made it through the terrible relationships, the months and miles apart, and even my punk rock days. We fell apart, picked up the pieces and never lost our stride. You always knew exactly what to say, and when to keep it to yourself. I thought we were a circle, a friendship that would never end. It never crossed my mind that there would be a day that I wouldn’t know everything about you. Looking back now, you are one of my best memories.

But…

Life got in the way. Or at least that’s what I tell people. 

It felt like our military life became an inconvenience to our friendship. That because I was out of sight, I was out of mind, too. It was like you stopped caring, and after a while, I guess I just stopped trying. Our lives have taken separate paths now, and I’ve accepted that the life we live doesn’t always make sense to everyone. I’ve learned that the military puts strain on relationships and that sometimes it takes more than it gives. I think it’s easier to blame the military for our lost friendship than it is to believe that we chose this.

There are days that I wish we could swallow our pride and accept the apologies we’ll never give each other. There are times that I wish I could call you and hear that familiar voice. Days that I would love to smother your baby in cuddles and hear about how being a mom is going. It’s hard to believe that we’re both mothers, and even harder to believe our kids will never be friends. I know that there are people who are part of your life for a season, but I never thought you and I were one of those relationships.

Now what I know about you is from glimpses of your life through social media. I know you’re the friend my kids will hear about but never really know. You’ll always be the friend I thought they would call aunt. They’ll see pictures of you and ask who you are. I’ll smile and say that we were best friends in a different life.

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Gerry
Gerry is a military wife, and mother to identical twin boys, Gabriel and Gideon (born July 2017). Gerry is a first generation Vietnamese-American that was born and raised in Belmont, North Carolina. Some would say she has southern sass and a little twang to prove it. As graduate from the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks!) in 2012 with a degree in Mass Communications & Journalism, Gerry found her passion to be marketing which led her down a career path of multiple senior marketing roles, from non-profit to corporate marketing. After giving birth to her babies, she gave up her 9-5 to be a stay-at-home mom and was fortunate enough to be brought on as the Social Media Marketing Manager for Mountain Air Marketing here in Colorado Springs. Her family relocated to the area in January, and though they're typically beach lovers, they cannot get enough of the Springs. Though they have our hands full with their twins and their fur-baby, Murdock, they still find time to hike, explore and their favorite hobby- visit local breweries.