November is to Remember

As November draws to an end, I want to do a final reflection on thankfulness. When I hear the word Thanksgiving, I immediately picture two wonderful friends: Ashley and Emily. These crazy adventurers will let nothing stop them from seeing me. They are so stubborn at staying in touch, Ashley bought me an air mattress to keep at her house for me last year, and Emily always has her house in “roommate advertisement” mode, just in case I want to move in.

Two Novembers ago, Emily lived out a dream and left the United States for the first time. Two Novembers ago, Ashley joined to guide Emily through European travels. Now, both were a bit ambitious- visiting six cities (one city twice) in a period of six days. I suppose you could argue Spain’s charm was a significant persuasive factor, though I prefer to believe I was the main reason for the trip…

*Ashley, Emily, and I biking across San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge with some friends as we visited the amazing Nic Burgess back in January of 2024.*

Previously when I traveled, I never anticipated anyone visiting. As a broke recent college graduate, I understood the financial burden of plane tickets, time off of work, food, and mishaps. However, on a camping trip earlier that fall, both Emily and Ashley promised to come- and they did. It meant the world they wanted to see me, and if it were not for them, I would have never seen Portugal.

Fast forward a year later, and we celebrated the most meaningful Thanksgiving I have ever had. Last year, I faced a rough patch in my life: I struggled with finding purpose in my work/atmosphere and felt so lost. One of the main reasons I got through was because of Emily and Ashley- both opened up their homes to me so often, I bussed up to Pittsburgh from D.C. on the dreaded Greyhound twice a month just to see them. For Thanksgiving, I had an entire week off, and lived with Emily. Ashley’s family invited us all over for Thanksgiving dinner- the crazy Ohioan not wanting to go home for the holidays and the dedicated nurse who could not get off work.

This November, I want to give thanks to them. I want to recognize how much they mean to me:

Ashley,

I admire your honesty, confidence in speech, dedication to serving the youth, commitment to making goals and trips happen, sense of style (both with decorating and clothes), power to always be there for a friend, and joy for the Lord. You always make me laugh- whether I am cleaning your dishes for you, or you become wide-eyed by my chaotic lifestyle. No matter where you pick me up: the side of the road in Pittsburgh, random cafes, Greyhound station after my bus was delayed (for a third time), Ohio, or Emily’s, I know it is the start of a wonderful conversation and memory. I apologize for taking longer than I should have to remember you are gluten free- but hey, at least I found a churro place for you in Spain (even if we did not get to eat there…). I appreciate how truthful you are with advice- not wanting to sugarcoat a situation and being willing to be blunt to improve a situation. Thank you for listening to all of my rants and weird theories (I’m telling you, my energy theory has a strong basis…), and for helping me “adult.”

Emily,

*Pittsburgh Nov. 2023- why can’t we take any serious photos???*

I value your loyalty, creativity, appreciation of the “little things” in life, ability to never lose your inner child, enthusiasm and energy, and eyes to stay focused on what truly matters in the world. I know nursing is not ideal, but I see you as strong for staying committed in the field and still utilizing your talents and experience to help and save strangers (whether kids at a camp or crazy drug-using city patients). I love all of our adventures- whether we were playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark, hiking in the woods to explore God’s beauty, catching apples on forks in the front yard (what were we on??!), get into a crazy debate about suppressing emotions, or tasting your delicious homemade coffee. Thank you for flying to visit me in Spain, thank you for changing a roadtrip to see me in D.C., thank you for driving to Ligonier to hike/play volleyball with me, and thank you for walking alongside me in both the easy and difficult times.

I know we could not be in-person this November, but I hope this makes up for it, and I know I will see you both soon in Northern Ireland. Happy November to both of you, all of our memories I will always remember.

___ ___ ___ ___

So, if you are reading this post and do not happen to be either Emily or Ashley, thank you for taking the time to read my words. There are still a few hours before November is over- take this time to reach out to that friend or relative you have not spoken to in a while and tell them how much they mean to you.

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