Soul Sister

She can be someone you've known since you were little.  She can be someone you've grown and changed with over a span of several years.  Or, she can come out of the most seemingly, unlikely places.  She just shows up, says, "Here I am, and I'm not going anywhere, so you'd better freakin' get comfortable."  It doesn't matter if you've known her for a minute or for a lifetime, because your connection runs deeper than time.  We all have them.  We all need them.  They are our soul sisters.

She SEES you...not as a mother, a wife, a sister, or a daughter. She sees you for you. She GETS you on a level you didn't even know you had.  She holds your hand when you need it, and pushes you out to walk on your own when she sees that it's the best thing for you.  She's the one who laughs with you, and isn't afraid to see you cry.  She may even cry with you at times. But, through her tears, she's still able to will you stronger with her eyes.  She can show you compassion and tough love all in the same look.  She lets you vent and complain and hurt, but she also isn't afraid to call you on your shit once in awhile.  She sees "where" you are, even when you don't.  She speaks volumes without saying a single word.

She hears the pain in your heart or the joy of your soul, and feels it too.  She's a part of you, and you of her. She always seems to know exactly what to say and when to keep quiet. She doesn't have to try too hard, because on some level she already knows what to do. No matter what's going on with you, she ALWAYS shows up.  She's there every single time, even when you wonder why she would continue to make the effort. She makes you feel safe and complete.   No degree of separation can break the connection.  She's here for life, and probably longer.

I thank her for being that for me.  We're supposed to walk this life together for whatever reason.  We're supposed to learn these lessons together.  It's not necessarily a conscious "choice" the first time you connect, but you realize rather quickly that just being near her feels like home.  Thank you for laughing and crying.  Thank you for making me safe.  And thank you for loving me.