The Gift of You

Dear George,

I'm writing this letter to you during Love Week to express my deep and heartfelt appreciation for your precious presence in my life. Though we may not verbalize it often enough, you truly are special to me. Our paths crossing has been a tremendous gift - one that keeps blessing me daily in small ways and profound.

I vividly remember the first conversation we shared. Little did I know then that we were planting the seeds of a soul-nourishing friendship. A bond that would blossom over time into something so life-giving and rich. We come from such vastly different backgrounds, have walked down such wildly divergent life paths, yet connect so authentically at the heart level.

Over the years, you have been a steady and caring companion by my side through life's unpredictable ups and downs. We have laughed, cried, dreamed, questioned, created. You saw me through a painful illness, lifting my spirits with Buddha bowls of homemade soup when I had no appetite for anything. I will never forget how you drove two hours in the dead of night to rescue me that time my car broke down in the middle of nowhere. Or the letter you wrote assuring me I still had worth when I lost my job and identity along with it. Always reminding me that there is light ahead, even when all I can see is consuming darkness.

In both celebratory times of victory and achievement, and painful seasons of failure and loss, you have been there. Mourning with me when my world crumbled. Celebrating my wins as if they were your own. Saving newspaper clippings about my small accomplishments as if they deserved headline news. Encouraging me to get up just one more time when I was convinced I had nothing left. You have this amazing way of seeing the good in me, even when I cease to see it in myself.

What I have come to cherish most profoundly over the course of our journey together is the rare and wondrous gift of being able to be fully myself with you. Without pretense or performance. Insecurities, quirks, anxieties, hopes, passions and all. And still feeling embraced exactly as I am. You accept me, enjoy me even, when I'm showing up raw and real. No need to gloss over the rough spots or obscure the vulnerabilities. What freedom from the soul-crushing burden of self-criticism! With you as my mirror, I have learned gradually to soften into self-compassion as well.

True, authentic friendship is such a vital nutrient for thriving. Yet, it seems to be increasingly rare in this hurried world rife with loneliness. How blessed I feel that the unpredictable currents of life happened to steer us side by side as we float along trying to navigate its challenges. I deeply cherish the refuge our connection provides - a shelter from the storm, an oasis of gut-level belonging, a garden where my quirky soul feels wholly known and nourished.

My dearest hope, as the seasons continue to change and new chapters of life unfold, is that we will keep nurturing the bonds between us that have become so vital and precious. As we walk together along these winding paths - sometimes uphill, sometimes down, sometimes hand in hand laughing under blue skies with mountains in sight, other times separately yet side by side through the fog or in the darkness - may we continue to lend each other strength and courage for the journey. However the miles unfold between now and the final sunset, I am so very grateful that they contain you as my fellow sojourner and beloved friend.

With immense fondness and appreciation,
Noradaniel
_{Image edited on Canva}