is it?

While looking at this picture- let me just state, these are all great women. Having stated that- I want to talk about one of them specifically.

She's the African Princess in the green shirt and black and white skirt.

Her name is Mpumi.

She's fantastic.

And... she may just kill me for writing about her on here.

I met her on fast sunday in september of 2008. I had a terrible case of tonsilitus and had completely lost my voice. She walked up to me and said "How's it?" to which I blankly stared at her. I smiled nervously and said with a raspy horse voice "what?" She laughed and said "It means, How are you?"

Thats the most basic form of the story. The most realistic on actual event. But as I've learned in school this past semester, absolute occurance is irrelavent. So while I tell you we met on my first sunday half way across the world from where I grew up, I should probably tell you we met while standing in the middle of the freeway facing on coming traffic. I was looking around nervously, knowing how out of place I was, but tried to hold my shoulders back to seem as if I blend. Then, as soon as I became comfortable, or at least used to, the cars racing by me only to slow down and gawk at the little girl standing on the freeway, Mpumi walked out onto the freeway, stood next to me, and said "well... hi there."

There are conections in life that are so rare, the english language holds no words to describe the feeling of them, let alone the action of them. How I feel about Mpumi is one of those. I was in South Africa for barely under 4 months. 4 of the most glorious, hardest, and spiritual months of my life, and Mpumi was by me through-out the entire journey. With only a few month friendship I'm sure you wonder, how close can you really get?

Once again... sometimes there just are no words.

She's incredibly strong, amazingly forgiving, remarkibly understanding, and beautifully compassionate.

When my mother past away, one of the things I struggled with was- Mom never met Mpumi... here... on earth. That is actually something I struggle with with a lot of people in my life, that they haven't met her.

This post is being written out of guilt. She's the best friend I've ever had, and possibly will ever have, and I have no idea if she's even dating anyone. While I hope that everyone has someone in their life that resembles our friendship, I hope that everyone is better at maintaining and perserving this gift.

Wether it was a gift, a blessing, a tender mercy, or freak lining up of the stars, This African Princess has been my inexplicible best friend. I hope you have one too, and more importantly I hope they know it.