Today's grateful (11/12/10) posted a day late

My daughter met her best friend, Kami, while they were both in Mrs. Richard's fourth grade class.  They are now in 11th grade together.  Their friendship is more of a sisterhood, and Kami is a second daughter to me.

 

 

Kami has grown into a beautiful young woman, both inside and out.  It has been my joy and pleasure to watch her grow into herself.  In the past year, I have watched her blossom - her confidence has increased, she has become a more centered young woman, and as a result, she is absolutely ready and willing to stand up for what she believes in.

What really makes me grateful for Kami though, is her heart.  She shares so much of herself with the people she loves.  She is not afraid to give me her opinion on what's normal for a teenage girl and what is not.  She's not afraid to tell me when I need to give my daughter space.  And she's not afraid to tell Frankie when she needs to buck up and do what's right.

She also loves my little ones.  And they love her too.  Every time someone comes to the door,  Thomas starts saying her name, hoping it's her.  He talks about her at random times.  "Kah-mee", as he calls her in his husky little voice, is his first little crush.  And there's a reason for that - she's good to him.  He will run up to her and kiss her more often than he is willing to run up and kiss me.

Kami has a beautiful spirit.  She genuinely wants to help people.  From being the go-between for my daughter's first relationship, to helping Frankie do her hair for special events, to helping me clean my kitchen (what teenager does that?), to babysitting and playing with my kids, she has been a lifesaver for us time and time again.  In fact, even as I type she's getting ready to come over and babysit so we can work together as a family to clean.

I am so excited to watch her continue to travel on the beautiful path she is on.  I'm looking forward to watching her future unfold.  And I am grateful, so grateful, that she is my daughter's truest friend.  These girls are what my mother used to call naked souls.  They know each other as who they really are - with the pressures of the world stripped away.  They know each other by heart.  And I truly hope that they will remain BFF because there's really nothing like those people who knew you when. 

P.S. I couldn't be grateful for Kami without also being grateful for her mother, Beth.  Beth has molded so much of who Kami is, largely, just by example.  They have an ideal mother-daughter relationship-- not without bumps or hiccups, still very real, but ideal in all the ways that count.  Beth and her husband Tony have big, kind hearts.  And I am thankful to them for raising this daughter who impacts our lives in ways beyond measure.