So it is only fitting after nearly ten years, ( that is right, next year Just Jules is celebrating 10 years of existence) that Mel get her own birthday blog!
Melissa was one of my first online friends back when making friends online was strange and weird. We never would tell people we made friends with someone on a message board! She was one of my first bible study students online.
We're the same age and grew up in the 80's, we love a lot of the same things and our commonalities are many. For years, we've had our phone chats and emails where we've shard our truimphs, struggles and joys together. She was there for me when my grandparents were dying, she was actually the first phone call that I made from Stanford the first time we went there and were accepted into the transplant program. So the morning of Marty's transplant, she was the first person I called.
She is one of those friends who you know will always be there when you call. We haven't talked as much as we should in the last couple of years. Life has taken us in different directions, she has faced difficult times, quietly and bravely.
She came out to California to visit me back in 2007. We had a fun weekend driving around LA and hanging out together.
We had a wonderful talk on the phone a few weeks ago, it had been too long. Both of us felt bad and lamented the fact we've been out of touch. I felt bad when she shared some tough words for me, sometimes when you have many friends, you can lose some in the shuffle. It's not intentional on my part, nobody is more important than anyone else. Some of you are just louder than others, Mel isn't loud she is quietly always there waiting in the wings.
She has been there through some of the weirder parts of my life, the parts that very few understand or have been through. Listening, giving advice and helping me through has been her specialty and I really couldn't have made it without her.
It's been a joy to watch her go from dreaming of children, suffering a heartbreaking loss and then becoming a mother. She is a hard working mom, who has worked hard for her career, gone to school all while raising two kids. Melissa is the kind of friend that I look up to and am inspired by.
Thanks for being there on this crazy journey Melissa. You will always have a special place in my life and heart. I am always just a phone call or email away when you need me and never feel like you aren't special to me. Should we start a club 40? nah.....doesn't sound as fun as club 30 was let's just pretend we aren't heading to 40.
