A Perfectly Worded Surprise

About five years ago, my best friend and I decided to keep a “Best Friends Journal.” We would alternate writing in it. Being the reader/writer of the pair, I would diligently write in it when it was my turn, churning out three or four pages. On the other hand, my lovely friend would write perhaps a paragraph and then misplace the journal for months at a time. It was an ongoing joke between us about how scattered brained my friend was. Of course it was just for fun, but after a few years, the journal disappeared completely, from both our hands and our minds.

Yesterday, I received a package in the mail from my best friend. After going through an unreasonable amount of packing tape and stamps, I uncovered our lost journal! She had once again found it. After laughing at the circumstances, I opened it up to the newest (and rather short) entry…and started to cry.

In just a few words, my friend was able to put all of her personality, all of her quirkiness, and all of…well her into the journal. Her scarce words moved me far more than any 600 page novel ever could. She wrote from her heart and her soul. It was absolutely beautiful.

She wrote about how it only took her 4 years to write me back and how far we have come in those four years. We are both married and have careers when, four years ago, all of this would have seemed impossibly grown-up. She was unapologetic about being herself and how she appreciates how much I accept her. I will admit that I had to sit down in the middle of my kitchen (where I was reading the journal) and let a few silent tears trail down my face.

I guess the point of this was to show you that a few beautiful words can be just as powerful as a long, eloquently written letter. You just have to find the perfect words…