#9 - Brittany [happy birthday!]

a friend loves at all times...



If I've learned anything from Brittany it's the above. Sometimes she's the nicest, most fun person alive and we have a party, and sometimes she's got great ideas and / or advice, and to be perfectly honest, sometimes I really don't like her. We've known each other since probably second grade, and have been friends probably since fifth or so. Several times in the past five years I've noticed that sometimes things are just uggggg and it just seems like she doesn't really have any idea what's going on [but usually at those times life is just not in a good mood and I'm pretty introverted towards everybody and everybody's pretty annoying]. But, since I've called her a friend even during all that [well most of it], I need to love her. I think it was PD who said this summer at Patmos that "you don't always have to like everyone, you just have to love them." Let me tell you that's easier said that done, but I'm [slowly] learning. Being friends with Brittany has taught me a few biiiiiig things:

1. If you can't laugh at yourself, you're not going to last very long. I wonder sometimes if me and Brittany seem like we're really mean to each other, because half the time we're just making fun of something one of us [or both of us if we're in the concert mode hah] did one time.

2. The best way to prove someone wrong is to live life with no regrets. I'm not really in the mood to discuss last winter but the two of us were not exactly the closest of friends [this was an extended period where I didn't really like her] and I wanted to prove to her that having non-Christian friends and helping out at OLV was, in fact, not injuring my faith. I put more effort into everything, even just having fun, and it was incredible. I got stronger as a dancer and as a Christian, closer to some great people, even helped repair a friendship. I learned to channel my anger into the positives and it was amazing. Try it sometime :]

3. If you think someone is John Reuben, GO TALK TO HIM. Ditto with Steve from Sanctus Real.

4. Jealousy will kill you and it's the hardest battle to win. I've been struggling with envy in general this year and there have been quite a few sources of that [seriously like fifteen, I listed them out once a while back], Brittany was one of them. Brittany, if I've seemed weird to you, here you go, I've been fighting with myself and I'm sorry. Point being I've been slipping into that Seperate Peace-esq. "there was no harm in envying even your best friend a little" madness, and it's been taking a toll on every part of my life. Guys, if you can possibly avoid envy, DO IT. It's awful.

5. Put on a brave face and things will be okay. Sometimes all it takes to forget about something is to literally forget about it. Sometimes you've just got to take the good with the bad, accept that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, grin, and bear it. If you're able to laugh it off, things are going to be fine.

6. Before the average rock show, make a plan to get out before the mosh pit starts moshing.

7. Trust God and nobody else- friends are amazing, but they're still people. When I was fighting through the Catholic Church last year, it felt so very much like Brittany was pressurnig me to believe what was "her truth" at the time (Brown Street). I skipped my leading position at OLV a few times for BSBC yg and it felt straight-up wrong. I know now that Brittany was just trying to lead me to the truth [and that that just shows that she cared, not that she was trying to force it on me even though that's not how it felt], but God had a job for me at "Olive" and I that had to come first.

8. People are different. I like Anberlin, she's an FFH fan. She has devotionals, I prefer straight-up studying the Word. I read The Screwtape Letters while she's watching Narnia. I've got more close non-Christian friends than not and lots of "secular" CDs and she... well, doesn't, I guess. She jumps up to be friends with everyone, I'm more about observing and waiting for them to take initiative. I write and pray it out and keep it all in until I'm alone, she's not afraid to just cry. She'll wait for hours in the hot sun for one show, I'm... well, I would too, come to think of it :]

9. Next time you make a movie, make sure you watch it back after you cut it and everything. Just be sure there's not a body in the liiiiibrary :]