Love Letters

MSO Rin – Ms. Rin, one of my bridesmaids, was described in my wedding program as “the life of the party.”  It’s a clichéd but accurate description of a woman who brings sparkle and laughs to any room.  Like Tom and Wendy Haverford (Parks and Rec?  Anyone?), if you have a lame party that no one is enjoying, insert one MSO Rin into the crowd and suddenly things’ll turn around.  Rin doesn’t take herself (or anyone else) too seriously, but takes seriously the work of tending to her friendships.  She puts in the work for the people she cares about – not many people do, or even understand that it must be done.  Rin’s career is in a field dear to my (and her) heart, and I am equal parts envious and impressed that she just serenely situated herself right into doing what she loves, with her Boy right alongside, despite the fact that it’s a pretty tough field to make a career out of.  She is easy to be with, easy to make laugh, easy to love.  And I do love her, even if I don’t call often enough because CHILDREN. 

Super jane – I won’t even go on about how the selfless surrogacy knocked me flat on the ground, because I think we’ve all touched on that awesomeness a million times and I can’t think of anything new to say about it.  Instead, I’ll talk about sj’s unassuming nature – she’s a classy girl who drinks Natty Lite, and I hope that conveys what I intend for it to convey.  Super jane has every reason to be snobbish and full of herself, because she is extremely well educated, accomplished and respected in her career, has a strong marriage of over a decade, and is raising two delightful daughters.   But instead of resting on her well-earned pedestal above the rest of the world, Ms. jane is open and warm and friendly and happy to crack open a can of ice cold cheap beer and have a gab session with friends - or strangers who instantly become friends.  Her sunny and fun nature has helped her cultivate relationships with her family and with friends near and far that I admire – this woman is beloved by many, and that number includes me.

Wicked – Though her name implies otherwise, M is anything but Wicked.  Sweet, loving, and loyal are three more accurate monikers that come to mind.  Wicked is also one half of a strong and supportive marriage, and has strong familial and friendship ties that dragged her back home where she belongs after years of experimenting with living in other places.  Put simply, she is so delightful that her family and friends couldn’t bear to be without her, and so they called her home.  Wicked, like me, is married to a travelin’ man, and spends the bulk of her weeks as a “single mom,” home with an adorable Gerber baby-turned-toddler.  She fills the role with joy, throwing herself into the “project” of motherhood with as much enthusiasm as she has given to our sorority, to her job with that sorority, to her running, to her friends, to her marriage.  Wicked loves her kid, her husband, her family, her friends, and her life, and that positivity and joy makes her easy for me and all of her friends to love her right back.

:) Love all you girls.