a girlfriend of mine recently called to tell me she had been having some struggles in her personal life. my heart completely sank and ached so deeply - of course for her. for the complex challenges life brings and this difficult time in her life, but also a little bit for me. being in vancouver, away from home, from the comforts of deep-rooted friends and the majority of my family, has been hard. i am of course so beyond grateful for the friendships and 'family' we have made here. if we ever leave vancouver, i know i will feel the same way about these incredible friends, but i naturally miss the other important people in my life.
whenever life gets sticky, you realize just how far away you actually
are. the more time that passes, the fewer phone calls are made, texts
shift from daily to weekly, and where was once a relationship of
constant communication and co-dependance, is now a series of stories
shared through random blog posts, facebook updates and instagram
photos. MANY of my close friends have been dealing with their unfair share of hardships these past 12 months. its difficult knowing that life goes on- good or bad, whether you are there to be part of
it or not, and i can count on both hands and feet how many times i have
wished i could be beside some of my best friends when they needed nothing more than a supportive face to help them through. to be honest, i have sometimes felt trapped. knowing where i should be, but unable to afford to get there.
i do want to make the best of it though. make a bigger effort to bridge the distance more gracefully (rather than sulking and whining about it on my blog). a few weeks ago i received a letter in the mail. it was a bit of a surprise, and completely made my day. 3 pages of thoughts, ideas, stories and hopes from a dear friend far away. i was elated! before i could even get my shoes off, i had torn into the envelope, reading every handwritten word, then immediately, i made a big cup of tea and sat down to write my letter back. answering all her questions and sending a few more of my own. it felt special. connected even. and in that moment, i felt so much love. so i hope to spend some time writing a few more letters to some far away friends. spreading a little handwritten love with some of the incredible women in my life. but until then, this blog post is a love letter to all my beautiful friends. near or far, you all mean the world to me. xo
i think this quote says it perfectly-
'to send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.' phyllis theroux
