Best Friends Forever....

Yaaaay!! I get to introduce you to my BFFs.... Ok, here they are.... the three women outside of my family that have helped me get through some of the toughest times of my life.  They each contribute something different to my life.  I will be eternally grateful for their friendship. Evet, Jackie and Jeannie; thanks for sharing, everyone of your words touched my heart deeply.  I feel the same way about you. Love you!!!

My name is Evet Rodriguez, I live in Cleveland, Oh. I must start by saying that the most important things in my life are God, my family, and my friends. When Millie asked me to write about our friendship on her blog, my heart almost stopped lol now, don't take it the wrong way, I'm just not as gifted in the writing department as Millie. But then I thought, how hard can it be to write about a great friendship? Not one bit, so here it is. I remember the first time we met. It was in Jr High. As we were walking to our classroom, Millie approached me and introduced herself. We instantly connected. We did all the things teenage girls do. We'd hang out after school, borrow each other’s clothes, talk for hours on the phone about everything, have sleep over’s....etc

I laugh thinking about the good times we had as teenagers :) but then Oscar came to the picture and ruined it lol jk we would talk about him for hours lol Millie got married to Oscar and moved to NJ. I on the other hand, did not get married and stayed in Cleveland :/ lol There was a time in our lives when we lost touch and I would think and wonder how she was doing and prayed she'd be well. But thank God Facebook was created and through this social media we reconnected. Instantly we picked up right where we left off, only difference now is, we're more Fabulous than ever lol I cherish her friendship because I know she truly cares for me and is always there for me even though we are distance apart. She’s a friend who knows all about me and loves me just the same. Last summer I visited Florida and spent some vacation days with her and her family.  I am proud and blessed to call her my BFF. Her blog has been a blessing to my life. I look forward to reading her blog every day. Millie, thank you for giving me the opportunity to write about our friendship. I truly believe our friendship is a gift from God. I will finish by sharing this quote:

Distance cannot matter - ours is a friendship of the heart.

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Sister-friend!!! Oh how delighted I am to be able to express to this wonderful audience of this great blog, of the love and mutual respect I have for my friend and sister Millie. I've known Millie now for about 20 years, she is the same person today as the day we first met, and she’s much more beautiful today as age gracefully agrees with her. What I love about Millie is her spontaneity, she could whip up in seconds an event, a vacation, a wedding, a play...whatever she puts her mind into, with so much passion and dedication. When Millie and I get together - we have no concept of time whatsoever. The fact that we would inspire each other’s hopes and dreams as we spoke all night till the breaking of day, would only strengthen our belief for each other’s aspirations of one day seeing each other as wonderful wives, amazing mothers, great daughters and loving friends to each other and many others in our path. This brings to memory a time when we broke the World Guinness Book of record of talking for over 18hrs straight, we laughed and cried and bled well I did, I had braces so my mouth was sore, I could barely eat or talk the next day. But it was all worth it. I would look forward for their visits and hours spent together to feed off each other for strength and to create special moments that still brings us back to those places when we reminisce of the good old' days. Millie! Thank you for always being close to me even when we were in separate time zones and separate stages of life. Thank you for never giving up on our friendship, we all get distant to a certain degree when we make huge transitions but you didn’t let me get very far because you knew what was truly important.

Thank you for always being fun even when we’re not having fun. I don’t know how else to explain that. Thank you for believing in me when I was too weak and exhausted to believe in myself. Thank you for pushing me, for repeating those affirmations that don’t mean anything in inspirational films but mean everything when someone who cares about you says them. Thank you for doing all the things a real best friend does; for letting me sob into your shoulder when I need to and handing me the flask when there aren’t any more words. Thank you for always knowing who I am and reminding me of that when I forget. Thank you for being genuinely concerned with the outcome of my life and always listening, even when you’re tired. For never judging me and always being honest.

Today our paths have traveled into journeys of motherhood, writer’s, artist and much more ventures to come. But what has sustained us as Friends has been the undeniable love we have for each other as sisters in our faith and a bond that has been fused by the time we spent and still spend, healing our pain, laughing at our faults and loving our lives, no matter what comes our way. Time and space can keep people from seeing the value of what they mean to each other, and I am thankful that neither the time away nor the distance in space has kept Millie and me from growing and seeing that true friendship is possible, if we can just believe in each other’s dreams, and love beyond the unimaginable.

I love you sister-friend,
Jackie

Friendship: Life has many twists and turns. Some sharp "lefts" can make you almost limbless - flailing wildly to try and keep your head connected to your neck. Then, there are some sharp "rights" which unexpectedly allow you to encounter beautiful, never-seen-before, picturesque scenery. It was in one of those twists and turns of life that Millie and I became soul-friends. And, I thank God that he allowed me to find a "BFF" in her. You see, life goes by so fast and sometimes in the milieu of family, ministry and work you just need someone to stop and smell the roses with; the kind of friend that flies to NY for a weekend so that together we can laugh, cry, dance & walk barefoot throughout Times Square because our feet can't stay in 3" heels any longer (true story); the kind of friend that you can spontaneously go to the best dessert place in FL and eat a piece of every single cake they have on the menu till you feel like you have to be lifted by a crane to get out of that place (true story). Yep, that's Millie and I!

Friendships of this nature have no price tag. To love & beloved unconditionally with absolutely no strings attached nor any anxiety of having to walk on egg shells is the kind of life-breathing friendship that I pray everyone finds.

I'm so glad that Millie started this blog...FINALLY! I say this because Millie has a God-given gift to listen with her heart and live life abundantly. It is from this gift that she'll share experiences and life journey's of many of our quirky, silly and sometimes serious friendship rendezvous. Enjoy reader!

Millie, thank you for being God's smile to my life on this side of heaven. I pray that we get to live next door to each other in heaven so that we can trot with 3" heels on streets of gold together!

Jeanette Salguero