Bert has Ernie, Abbot has Costello, Oprah has Gayle and Felix has Oscar..... I have Andrew, my best friend.
I have known Andrew most of my life, he is a year younger than me and we were casual friends as youngsters, that all changed around 13 or 14. I remember we were at the Halloween Carnival in the old Rabun County High School butler building and for some reason we ended up hanging out together that night.
A lifetime friendship was born.....
From that day forward Andrew has been like a brother to me, I seek his opinion, his advice, when something good happens I want to share it with him and in tough times I know he will be there.
As we grew up, Andrew became a part of my family and I his; Dr. Pete and Janie were my second mother and father, Ray and Martha were his. We were usually at one house or the other.
Andrew was with us on family vacations, I rushed the field of the Sugar Bowl with Andrew when Georgia won its one and only National Football Championship. We have raced down ski slopes, sprayed each other with water skis and shared bottles of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill together.
Sadly as I graduated from High School and the following year Andrew graduated, we lost contact. I blame myself for losing contact with my best friend. Through those years we both grew up a lot and went our different directions.
Good and bad times for each of us, difficult times that the other could have helped with and unfortunately we weren't there. I know I missed so much of Andrew's life and I will always regret that, but even when we were separated I kept up with him and I know he kept up with me. Even apart, we were part of each other's lives.
Over the last seven or eight years Andrew and I started to reconnect. Slowly at first and then with more frequency. I met his wife, his kids and his family came to Florida for vacation and we were able to reconnect.
From the moment we reconnected it was as if we never were apart, conversations flowed effortlessly.
Now I am happy to say we speak often, while we don't see each other as often as I would like we are part of each other's lives now.... I am immensely thankful for that.
When mama died, I told Andrew that he didn't have to travel back and forth from Atlanta for the viewing and funeral and he said to me "she was like my mama too." Yes she was and I was incredibly thankful that Andrew was there with us.
Best friends are a funny connection, we may part but thankfully we come back. Best friends are chosen not assigned, I am thankful that I chose a smart, funny, dedicated man who has become an amazing father, husband and businessman, I am thankful for Andrew.
I have known Andrew most of my life, he is a year younger than me and we were casual friends as youngsters, that all changed around 13 or 14. I remember we were at the Halloween Carnival in the old Rabun County High School butler building and for some reason we ended up hanging out together that night.
A lifetime friendship was born.....
From that day forward Andrew has been like a brother to me, I seek his opinion, his advice, when something good happens I want to share it with him and in tough times I know he will be there.
As we grew up, Andrew became a part of my family and I his; Dr. Pete and Janie were my second mother and father, Ray and Martha were his. We were usually at one house or the other.
Andrew was with us on family vacations, I rushed the field of the Sugar Bowl with Andrew when Georgia won its one and only National Football Championship. We have raced down ski slopes, sprayed each other with water skis and shared bottles of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill together.
Sadly as I graduated from High School and the following year Andrew graduated, we lost contact. I blame myself for losing contact with my best friend. Through those years we both grew up a lot and went our different directions.
Good and bad times for each of us, difficult times that the other could have helped with and unfortunately we weren't there. I know I missed so much of Andrew's life and I will always regret that, but even when we were separated I kept up with him and I know he kept up with me. Even apart, we were part of each other's lives.
Over the last seven or eight years Andrew and I started to reconnect. Slowly at first and then with more frequency. I met his wife, his kids and his family came to Florida for vacation and we were able to reconnect.
From the moment we reconnected it was as if we never were apart, conversations flowed effortlessly.
Now I am happy to say we speak often, while we don't see each other as often as I would like we are part of each other's lives now.... I am immensely thankful for that.
When mama died, I told Andrew that he didn't have to travel back and forth from Atlanta for the viewing and funeral and he said to me "she was like my mama too." Yes she was and I was incredibly thankful that Andrew was there with us.
Best friends are a funny connection, we may part but thankfully we come back. Best friends are chosen not assigned, I am thankful that I chose a smart, funny, dedicated man who has become an amazing father, husband and businessman, I am thankful for Andrew.
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