19. Vonda: what support looks like

The subject of this post could be about many of my friends, but this entry is specific to my dear friend Vonda.

Vonda and I have been friends for years - since we were 18.  We have had a great group of about 10 amazing girlfriends since sophomore year of college.  You know how this goes - small groups of besties form within the larger group, but Vonda and I were never really paired off back in the day.

When my divorce became a reality, I was all of a sudden free ... in many ways.  Not only was I free of the weight and the negative energy in my life, but I was also freed up to see friendships in new ways; Vonda was right there.

She invited me one summer to come stay for a time with her family at her beautiful home, which has become something of an annual tradition for us. She had me come up and bunk with her kids for ski weekends.  As I've gone through other significant transitions over the last few years, she has continued to be a support and encourager, always calling to check in, lending and ear or a word of a advice, always with me in my journey.  She still calls regularly to check in.  She remembers details, and always follows up.  I get homemade postcards crafted from goofy photos of her and or kids, that always make me smile, and continue to make me smile from my bulletin board.  She never forgets to mark an occasion - or maybe no occasion at all - with a card in the mail.  I'm a terrible correspondent, so all of these USPS greetings are even more meaningful to me.

Days before I left for Africa last year, I received a card in the mail.  Vonda had sent an iTunes gift card, recognizing that I might need a little taste of home during my trip.  But she went further - inside the card was a song pick from each family member.  It was so thoughtful and really touched me.  She included a fair trade salted dark chocolate bar (my favorite), which kept me company on the long and uneasy flight from Brussels to Bujumbura, all the while reflecting on my thankfulness for her friendship.

I could go on.  But suffice it to say Vonda has been a consistent and significant force of support and encouragement in my life over the last several years, in a way that I not only really admire and really hold dear, but also in a way that serves as an example when others in my life are in need of support from me.