It's two o'clock in the afternoon on the last Saturday of the Winter Semester of 2010 and I find myself on this snowy spring day in a rather empty Rexburg curled up in the "couch nest" in Geoff's kitchen. The afternoon session of General Conference just started and the sounds of the choir fill the apartment, along with the smell of Darren's lunch of spaghetti and meat sauce.
I left my apartment a little before ten this morning, my life shoved into a bag slung over my shoulder as I grumbled to myself about the four inches of snow that blanketed the parking lot. Rexburg has not gotten the memo that it is supposed to be spring. I waited impatiently for Cazz to defrost and slowly made my out of my parking lot, slid through the four way stop, across the intersection and into Geoff's driveway.
We've spent the day putting around, listening to conference and Geoff doing a bit of light cleaning. We sat in the couch nest (the couches were pushed together in the kitchen so Geoff could vacuum) and played farmville while listening to music and talking about the gas, hours and rest stops that will be required in Geoff's 28 hour drive back to Texas next week. In between conference sessions, we took a trip to take missionary pictures and than ended back up in the couch nest, harvesting our crops on farmville and counting out the hours until the next harvest time.
I should be studying right now; or paying more attention to conference. I should be productive. But instead, I'm sitting here on the couch, watching Geoff pack up the rest of his clothes in his suitcase and thinking about what that means for me this coming week. I hate goodbyes, and this one is going to be a hard one. I don't like thinking about the absence of security that I have found in this apartment, in the comfort I have found in the passenger seat of the little white car in the driveway and especially the security and comfort and friendship I have found in the crazy Texan currently dancing around his apartment.
It's hard to find words to describe the friendship that Geoff and I have, because when it comes down to it; he and I are the only ones who understand how it works. Sometimes we yell at each other, sometimes we go for car rides, sometimes we have conversations by staring at each other, sometimes we have stair wars and sometimes we look up Chuck Norris jokes and eat bad Chinese food. Sometimes I need a shell, sometimes he needs a hug. Sometimes I cry. Sometime he vents. Sometimes we sit in silence doing our own separate things. Sometimes we play Rat-A-Tat-Cat. Sometimes we don't see each other for days. But I think the greatest thing about Geoffrey is that he is my "anyway friend." An anyway friend is the one person in your life who, no matter what they say or do or what you say or do, no matter what they've been through with you, no matter what mistakes you make or how many times you fail or fall, they love you anyway.
And I'm a little bit scared and sad to see my anyway friend leave Rexburg.
When I really think about it; I know that things will be okay. Although it will be an adjustment on my end to realize that I can't waltz over to the Arbor Cove house across from Porter Park when I need to get out of my apartment or that I won't be able to curl up in my shell when I'm having bad days; I know things will be okay. And I know it'll be hard on my end to not be around when he's having bad days too, things will be okay. In all of the time that we've been friends, I've never been let down and we've learned that we can get through tough things. I know that this friend is different; because Geoff isn't just my friend or even just my best friend. He's my brother.
So as I now sit in an empty apartment (Darren and Geoff are now at priesthood) surrounded by suitcases and clean laundry ready to be packed and wondering what this next week will bring; realizing that I still have a load of homework to do, and hoping that my American Government Paper comes back with a decent grade; I can't help but smile. It is amazing to sit here and realize that God really knows what he is doing. And if he knew what he was doing to get me to this point in my life; I need to have faith that he'll keep on guiding me in the direction that I am supposed to go.
but as for tonight; I'll wait for Geoff and Darren to come home and probably eat soup for dinner while helping Geoff finish off his packing. Maybe we'll do a bit of homework; maybe we'll watch a movie. Whatever we do, I'll enjoy this last saturday night of the semester with my best friend and I'm thankful for that.
I've come to realize that although my life is tough sometimes; it's always beautiful. The people in my life make it beautiful. And no matter what happens, life will continue to be beautiful
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