Blood is Thicker Than Water

On Mother's Day of this year, my family lost someone very special to us. After a long battle with cancer, my great Aunt Sweetheart went to be with the Lord. When I was sitting in the pew during the funeral, I thought about how I wished I could have spent more time with her, gotten to know her better. It made me think about how many stories we don't get to hear about our families. At the funeral, my Aunt Jo told a story about her dad, my grandfather, that I'd never heard before. My grandfather sounded like he and my Daddy had a lot in common. It made me want to hear and tell as many stories as I could. So I'm going to tell you a story about the greatest gift my Sweetheart ever gave me.

During the summer before my 3rd grade year, Sweetheart came over to my house with a surprise. Dad had told her that I'd be starting Italy Elementary the start of the new year, and he was worried about me going to a new school and not knowing anyone. I'd lived in Italy my whole life, but had gone to school in Waxahachie since I was in pre-k. So Sweetheart brought over her great granddaughter, who was also my cousin, Emily. Emily's grandmother, Donna, was my Dad's first cousin. Sweetheart was my grandfathers sister. You following me here? I know, it's complicated, but none of that really matters. The fact of the matter is, we're like a millionth cousins so we'd never met one another until that day.

Emily and I kinda just sat and stared at each other for a little while, if I remember correctly. I've never really been shy, but Emily has since the first day I met her. So I finally said, "Lets go outside and play," and off we went. Emily didn't have the same kind of imagination that I had, so while I was making weird crazy soups out of pecans, mulberries, wild onions, and figs, Emily just hoped I wasn't going to poison her. Needless to say, the little chicken didn't eat anything. But we played and played and played until Sweetheart came back and took Emily home. Not long after that, I met Emily's older sister Ashley and her younger sister Kaylee. Over the years, we played together and tolerated each other, but Emily and I didn't really like each other very much. I mostly played with Ashley because she'd get in the dirt with me! Then, we all just grew up and the days for playing were over.

Our first few years in high school, Emily and I ran in different circles. We talked and were nice, not hating each other but not exactly friends either. But then, one day at school Emily and her boyfriend at the time got into a huge fight, and I found her in the bathroom crying. I sat with her, refusing to leave her alone. As much as we weren't friends, I still felt like I should stay. Blood being thicker than water, and all that. After that day, we were a little nicer to each other, and even exchanged cell phone numbers. It was a start.

Then, January of our sophomore year in high school, our class went on a field trip to Dallas and, for some reason, I found myself hanging out with Emily and Rachael all day long. From that day forward, you couldn't find one of us without the other two. We were joined at the hip. That year, we went through a lot together. I had my first major heart break that summer, and Emily showed up at my house in her pjs with some ice cream and donuts, and we laid there and watched movies and I cried off and on, covered in powdered sugar. That, I think, was the day Emily became my best friend. When Emily and Rachael decided to do homeschooling and go to college early, it was only natural that I make the decision and go with them. We all graduated together a year early.

A lot has happened in the past six years, too much for me to write, but since then we three have done almost everything else possible together, especially me and Emily. Rachael is still our friend, but she moved off and we don't get to see her much anymore, but Emily and me are still joined at the hip. It seems we still have to do everything together, since our weddings are, like, three weeks apart. But you wanna know something about my best friend that makes me know 100% that she'll always be my best friend, even when we're 80 and stealing all the old peoples pudding cups from the nursing home (cause we don't like jello)?

Last summer, my Dad died. He was put on hospice and we knew it was only a matter of days. Emily took off work, and for about four nights in a row, she stayed with me. She's an LVN, so she helped take care of Dad in his last days. She didn't leave my side, and more importantly, she didn't leave his side, even when things got really bad. Emily, of all people, knew how close my Dad and I were, and how much it was killing me inside. I guess Dad knew I needed her too, because he chose to go be with the Lord while me, Emily, and Rachael were all in the room with him. I watched him take his last breath, and Emily heard his heart stop beating. Emily thinks Dad was probably pissed off at her for all of us being in the room. We were all about to go to bed but they wanted to check his vitals one last time before going to sleep, and that's when he died. But I think Dad knew something we didn't. Like, if it had of just been him and Mom in the room, she wouldn't have handled it. And if I had of been by myself...I don't even want to think about it. I think he knew I needed her, so he waited on both of us.

I know there are a lot of people that don't like me and some people that don't like Emily, and I could care less about the not liking me part. But people misunderstand Emily a lot of the times. She's not stuck up, she's just horridly shy. She doesn't think she's better than you, she just doesn't like to talk unless she knows the people really well. It's not that she's not sorry when she hurts your feelings, she just doesn't always know how to say she's sorry, because she's one of those types of people who understand that sometimes "I'm sorry" just doesn't cut it, so she'd rather show you.

Anyone who would give her half a chance would see the beautiful, amazing, funny, caring, sweet person that I see when I look at her. Maybe this says something about my inability to make actual friends, but I think I'm just blessed that the fact that my two best friends, Emily and Bonnie, are my cousins. Blood really is thicker than water. When your back is against the wall, or you've done something totally stupid, the only people on this earth that you can rest assured that they still still love you at the end of the day is your family. Emily and I fight like we hate each other half the time. In fact, our Chemistry teacher in high school tried to separate us one day because she thought we hated each other. We laughed at her, told her we were best friends, and just kept arguing. She just shrugged. It's what we do. She calls me a hoe bag and I call her something else rude, and we go on. We LOVE each other :D

Maybe I don't know everything there was to know about Sweetheart, but I do know she gave me one of the greatest gifts I ever received: my best friend. And Emily, just so you know, Sweetheart adored you. When I went to see her that day, she talked about you a lot. She was excited we were both getting married at the same time, said we had beautiful rings, and how happy she was we were best friends. And I hope that now she knows how truly grateful I am for her and that no words will ever express the gratitude I have for her bringing you to my house that day. And I'll never be able to thank you enough for the years of support and friendship that you've given me. I don't think I'll ever be able to explain to you how much it meant to me that you stayed with me in Daddy's last few days, or how much it meant to my mother and I that you and Aunt Sheila took care of him. We couldn't have done it without you two.

I love you, my Emmy. No crying, k? Think about the awesome cake we're gonna get to go try. We're getting married! And not to each other! No kissing cousins! <---bahahahaha, the memories.
Love always,

Ali

 

 

 "Find Out Who Your Friends Are"-Tracy Lawrence

 

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind, lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare

This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn?t know
This is where the truth don?t lie

You find out who your friends are
Somebody?s gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast

Never stop to think, 'What?s in it for me?'
Or 'It?s way too far'
They just show on up with their big ol? heart
You find out who your friends are

And everybody wants to slap your back, wants to shake your hand
When you?re up on top of that mountain
But then one of those rocks give way then you slide back down
Look up and see who?s around then

This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the band wagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lotta folks jump off

You find out who your friends are
Somebody?s gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast

Never stop to think, 'What?s in it for me?'
Or 'It?s way too far'
They just show on up with that big ol? heart
You find out who your friends are

When the water?s high
When the weather?s not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who?s gonna be there?

You find out who your friends are
Somebody?s gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast

Never stop to think, 'What?s in it for me?'
Or 'It?s way too far'
They just show on up with their big ol? heart
You find out who your friends are, yeah yeah
You find out who your friends are

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere, man I been there
Or get yourself in a bind, lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare, man I been there
Man I been there