a kindred spirit

It was another July twenty-something - three years ago now - when I first said goodbye to a friend that only God Himself could possibly have been responsible for giving me. We had roomed together at Great Commission Bible Institute for the school year, then I had lived with her family while working as a camp counselor in Pennsylvania for five weeks. And then it was goodbye: me back to Washington while she remained on the East Coast.

Anne of Green Gables eventually mused that kindred spirits were less scarce than she had once thought, but I have yet to share her discovery. Hannah must be the rarest kind of friend, for I've never found another one like her, and don't think I ever will.

She's been staying with me for the past couple of weeks while we have explored Olympia, styled a hippie photo shoot (coming to the blog soon!), camped in the Columbia River Gorge, walked through downtown Portland, experienced a live Twenty One Pilots concert, floated the Deschutes River, boogie boarded in the Pacific Ocean, and spent many very late nights talking, laughing, and eating ice cream. And now it's time for another goodbye.

I curse sometimes that we must live on opposite ends of the continent. I pray sometimes that this will not always be the case. But while it is, I can only be overjoyed by the few days we get to pretend our friendship is not long-distance, the monthly phone calls that remind us it is, and the fact that Snapchat is ever within reach. :)