I’ve been sitting here for weeks trying to find the right words. Words that could capture the heart of this friendship, the beauty of it, the way it’s carried you through some of the best and hardest years of your young lives. I’ve started and stopped, written and erased, because how do you sum up something that’s been such a constant, such a safe place? But maybe the truth is, there’s no perfect way to do it. You just start from the beginning and let the story tell itself.
Sometimes, when one friend leaves for new adventures, the other feels like everything is ending. There’s an ache, a loneliness, a quiet wondering if things will ever be the same. But this what you two have it’s not ending. It’s simply beginning a new chapter.
I know leaving for college will change you. It will grow you in ways you can’t yet imagine. It will challenge you, stretch you, and make you discover who you are when you’re away from the comfort of “home.” And for the younger friend, watching someone you love walk forward before you can take that step yourself it can feel like being left behind. It’s bittersweet for both of you. The one staying feels the space grow between chapters, and the one leaving carries the weight of stepping away from someone who’s been part of every corner of her life.
But friendships like yours don’t disappear when life changes they adapt. They bend, but they don’t break.
Who could have guessed that on a random Tuesday, walking into the first summer practice of a competitive cheer team, you’d find each other? That from that moment forward, life would weave your stories together? You’ve been through NCA wins like that third-place moment that wasn’t just a victory, it was your victory because you did it together. You’ve been through heartbreaks and mended them over late-night FaceTime calls. You’ve been each other’s hype women, therapists, and safe places.
And it hasn’t all been picture-perfect. There have been detours literal and emotional ones. Like breaking down on the side of the road in the rain on your very first adventure out together. Or the sushi night when no one was quite sure they even liked sushi, but the laughter and side-eyes over the table were the best part anyway. There have been silly nicknames and inside jokes that only you understand.
Florida trips turned into Disney vacations and impromptu photoshoots. There were concerts like Big Time Rush in Charleston, where the two of you stood under the night stars, laughing and singing as rain fell around you, making it one of those perfect moments you never forget. These aren’t just memories they’re pieces of who you are.
You’ve been so much alike in the ways that count loyalty, humor, that ride-or-die spirit but different enough to challenge each other and bring balance. One of you is the steady anchor, the other the spark, and somehow that mix has carried you through everything from heartbreaks to celebrations.
Life will be different now. You’ll both find your own grooves in this next phase, and sometimes it will feel strange to not have the other right there. But your stories will keep weaving into each other’s, even from far away. I hope that in sixty years, you’re sitting over coffee, telling the tales of two girls who shared a friendship and sisterhood that started on an ordinary Tuesday night and turned into a lifetime of extraordinary moments.
Gracie, Hope is not leaving you behind she is simply expanding her horizon, just like you will do next fall. I know your heart has been feeling so much loss lately, but the world is shaping you and preparing you for something incredible and magical. Your friendship reminds me so much of mine and Carla’s, and that is a rare find in this life. You even met around the same time as we did. Make sure you keep your heart open. Don’t close people out. There will be times you feel lost and lonely and wish Hope was here, but know she will never be far from your heart.
Hope, I love you like you are my own. I am incredibly blessed to have had you come into our life. You have brought Gracie so much love and laughter the sister she never had. I want you to know that when you feel lonely or ready to give up, don’t. You deserve to take up space in college. You deserve to spread your wings and find the version of yourself that’s been hiding in the shadows. When you’re ready to come home for holidays or impromptu trips, we will be here arms open. And if you ever need anything, we are only ever one call away.
I love you both more than you could ever know. This is not goodbye. This is “see you soon.” Your friendship is one of the rare ones the kind that changes shape over time, but never fades.
With all my love,
Mom
Leave a comment