The ground shifts beneath your feet, sometimes just on occasion, and sometimes all too often. We are not always in control of the hand we are dealt and maneuvering that maze to figure it out can be an incomprehensible challenge, full of affliction and full of confusion. As uncertain as things may be and as trying as they may feel, it's more than a world of comfort to just know that there is a friend in your life who is absolutely steadfast, unwavering and without a doubt unfaltering.
They've seen you at your highest points, laughing, adventuring, taking over the world - and they've taken it over with you. Every moment shared is sweeter, more exciting and more cherished. You have endless amounts of fun and spend your time together doing everything under the sun - from movie dates to trendy new eateries to paddle boarding on the lake to planning your next European excursion. They've cheered you on to victory in everything you do, from star benchwarmer in the powderpuff football game to lead in the musical to taking off in a whirlwind internship across the country. They know all your strengths and admire you for them, are proud of you, and love you endlessly for all your successes.
Friendship, however, is much too easy when it's all just the good stuff.
They've also seen you at your lowest points, the points when you were truly weak and vulnerable. They've seen you at your most unloveable. And yet, with all these reasons, they never leave your side. They are a phone call away when the tears start coming, their door is open when your home isn't feeling much like one, and they share all the pains you feel, down every winding road. When you hurt, they hurt too. They may live down the street or across the country, but distance doesn't matter. They are loyal beyond all measure and there is nothing that could possibly sever your relationship because it is of such binding importance. They know boys will come and go, but this friendship is truly forever. They know that such a deep friendship is irreplaceable so it is kept in the absolute highest regard. They know if you cause pain to one another, no matter why or who was right or wrong, fixing it is the priority. Your conversations are never solely superficial and go beyond all typicality because they know yours is so much more profound. Your friendship is all-encompassing and everlasting.
And you, are all of things to them as they are to you, and more. The unfaltering friend is truly given to our lives by the grace of something we cannot touch, and through that same grace, we are infinitely enriched, given peace and filled with joy. There will never be enough gratitude in the world to give to the unfaltering friend, a person who you know would literally do anything for you - with or without you asking - through all shifting grounds. A person who is always on your team. A person who speaks the same language even when you are mute. A person who knows all of you and sees all of you, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and loves you for every bit of it.
