Birdy

This is a tribute to my favorite bird: Robin.

She is one of my best friends I gained in Toronto.

We have a cool story. When I was 16 and she was 18, we went to an EFY in Lockhaven, PA. We were in the same group. I knew her as "Charlee" and never heard her say later that her actual name was Robin. She  had a cool indie look to her and it influenced me soon after EFY even though we didn't talk to each other at all. We didn't talk really until the last day of that week. She was sitting at the same table as me during the closing banquet. I asked her, "You're from Canada, right? Where in Canada?" She responded, "Mississauga." "Is that near Toronto?" "Kind of." (I later learned that 'kind of' meant '30 minutes away').

I was stubborn and full of pride - hating moving at the middle of high school to a new country. It was very difficult for my family, and especially me, to adjust. Knowing Charlee was a blessing, though. She would talk to me online, share weird music (which I eventually learned to love) with me, invite me to activities, etc. We began to grow quickly on each other and into best of friends. Oh yes, and it was my first dance in Canada that I was put into shock for a month when I learned Charlee's name was actually Robin - I was very much in denial. 

From my friendship with Robin, I know she taught me to be more open-minded, tolerant (especially of awkward situations), accepting, and more mature. My way of thinking evolved. And since she was 18 when I was 16, when I reached 18 I got excited to think "I'm Robin's age now!" I thought I'd finally caught up to her, but she is still 2 years old and always will be.

She still continues to be a wonderful friend though we're miles and kilometers apart from each other. Our lives will continue somewhere on different paths, but thank goodness for facebook and skype to help us stay updated and keep our close hearts comforted. Haha. 

To my soon-to-be-married best friend: I love you and hope you have a most wonderful birthday! Thank you for always being there for me and loving me no matter how big of a twerp I am.