When I was in high school, my American Government teacher, Mr. Wagner, stopped my friend Nina and me as we went into his class. I can’t remember what brought on this conversation, but he asked us how many friends we had. We responded, in true high school fashion, that we had at least fifty, maybe a hundred very dear friends. This was before the days of social media, and so we were limited to people we actually knew in real life. He unabashedly responded that he had two friends, and that if we had the same, we would be incredibly fortunate. I immediately felt great pity and embarrassment for him. Not only was he incredibly lame, but he was admitting his lameness to his students. Looking back I realize he was many things; brave, honest, and insightful come to mind.
I am ridiculously fortunate and have a handful of very dear friends, but there are two who have been my friend since college. It is in them that I most fully understand what Mr. Wagner was speaking about. They have been in my life for so long that they are much more like family than friends. They love me and support me and tell me when I’m wrong, one in particular is really good at that, and I do the same for them. With one, I share my love for God’s creation. With the other, I share my love for God. We each strive to be the best possible moms we can be and to love our husbands as much as we possibly can. They constantly remind me of what truly matters in life, and I am consistently grateful for the gift of their friendship.
The friendships I write about are one of the aspects of my books that readers gravitate to the most. I think this is because in our world where social media tells us we have hundreds of friends, the truth is we rarely have two. The friendships that Charlotte and Esther (Bria’s mom) share, as well as Bria, Blaise and Sara share, are something we all aspire to but so often can’t find. My hope for anyone reading this is that you are as lame as Mr. Wagner, because he was right. If you have two friends in life, you are incredibly fortunate, and I would add blessed.
Have a beautiful day and call a friend you love (texting does not count, leaving a voicemail does)!
Jacqueline
p.s. In The Light, I describe a scene where Bria sees a picture of her mom and Charlotte embracing at Charlotte’s college graduation. This scene stands out to me for two reasons: it is the first time Bria sees a picture of her mom, and it is based off a scene from my life. The picture above was taken at my friends’ graduation. It sits on the shelf behind me as I write.