#cousin

 My cousin, Jessica, is loving, trustworthy, confident, authentic, hard-working, compassionate, and beautiful.  She is a daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend to many.  When she was a young girl, she was a pain in my butt. 😂 You see, she is six years younger than me.  She was the little cousin that would spend time at my house periodically.  Because I had just three brothers and no sisters, I was the one who was "stuck" playing with Jessica.  When you're 16 years old, it's not real cool to be playing with a 10 year old (or so I thought this at the time).  Little did I know that she would someday  become one of the most important women in my life.  She is now the "sister-cousin" that I never had.  My hope is that all of my young, sweet nieces have a strong relationship with a woman that they trust explicitly as they grow into adulthood.  To have someone like that in your life means that you become that person to them as well.  As women, we need to set a high bar of respect for other women.  We need to ban jealousy and competition and instead, become teammates and support one another.  We should celebrate victories that our friends experience in their lives and grieve with them when they have to struggle through a mountain of pain.  A good friend is a true treasure in this life.  This is what Jessica is to me:  a treasure. We live hours away from each other and both lead busy lives; however, we make time to see one another and I know that we always will.  

Not every friend in your lifetime will be "this person".  Some will be just as sweet and kind but life has a way of creating space that changes friendships.  It's fine to keep making friends through different stages of your life but when you have that special relationship with "your person", don't forget to nurture it and hold on to it.  My wish for all of the girls reading this blog is that you find your "Jessica" and cherish that relationship! She is my #1 Cousin or better known as my #Cousin.