My infant/toddler years;

When you are an infant you are friends with whoever makes your eyes light up and giggle. You do not know how to speak any words so the relationships you form are solely based on whom you encounter through those years. I encountered my best friend more times than I can count in those years. She was the friend who celebrated my little successes such as walking and talking then denounced my misbehavior's. She has been there since day one and I never even really noticed a friend like her.

My elementary school years;

There are few people that were there the first day you started kindergarten and the last day you graduated high school. She is one of them. She was the one at the bus stop with me the first time I ever went to school and I never knew how big of a day it was for her also. It was the first step towards growing up. Her friend was experiencing a whole new world and it was a huge deal. She was the one I would call if I ever had an issue or needed to talk. Her number was the one I always had to remember.

My middle school years;

Where I thought I was too cool to be friends with her. Middle school was such a new world for me, and I was excelling in every aspect. I made every sports team I tried out for; soccer, basketball, track, starting from sixth grade and I was doing terrific academically. I started making friends on teams she was not a part of. I started maturing on my own and we drifted apart quite a bit. I began to spend time with girls she was not friends with and participate in different activities, making it hard to balance both. She understood though because she experienced it also. Teenagers often think they are above their past friendships because they are a part of a world where everything is new and exciting.

My high school years;

We started to find our way back to each other. I started to realize her friendship was unique and I most likely was not going to find another like hers. She had always been there for me, even when I did not grasp it. She constantly supported me in my basketball career. She was there to celebrate my success and endure my failure. She was there when I went to all three proms, taking pictures with me and of me. She was the one I cried to over boys, the one I vented to about school, and the one I laughed the most with.

My college years;

I am at an age now where I am able to distinguish a positive and negative influence in life. She has constantly been a positive one, always wanting the best for me even when I did not see it. I stayed home from college for the first two years so there was not much to do; we spent a lot of time together. I began to realize we did not even have to be doing anything to have fun. We could just be sitting in my room talking, eating snacks, watching television, and joking with each other, while still having fun. She became my rock; the person I constantly turned to for help and the one always giving me useful advice. She became the best friend I have ever had.

I have not yet mentioned a name of this “she”, but it is in fact my mom. My mom has been my best friend since the day I was born, I was just too immature to see it. I have realized over the years that the friendship of a mother is the most important one to have. No other person is going to support, guide, care, and love you like she will. She will be the call at 8:00 in the morning with great news and the call at 8:00 at night for a recap on the day. She is going to be the one with you every step of the way. I cannot thank my mom enough for her friendship over the years. She has made me a better person by simply being herself. In no way was this friendship an accident, I in fact think it was on purpose.