I am fortunate enough to have many wonderful friends. This is evidenced by the sheer number of people I refer to as ‘one of my favourite people’. I really need to just accept that EVERYONE is my favourite person.

However, there are two people who I genuinely cannot believe I am lucky enough to be so close to. I have known them for 9 years and loved them for at least 8 and a half. I have many brothers but they truly are like family to me. I’m terrible at keeping in touch with people back home but whenever I speak to them it’s like we never stopped talking. And they are there for me through EVERYTHING. Literally. I can go to them with anything and they will hug me and laugh/cry with me and hold me down and tickle me until I cry.

Today I received love from both of them in their own unique ways; they are both so different yet so alike. For one it was a mention (or four) in a wonderful blog post which I would never have imagined him writing; it was such a simple and personal post and it totally knocked me. Affirmation is a wonderful thing and wow. So so much love. I keep re-reading it and he just blows me away every time with his honesty. Having walked with him for a large part of that journey it was amazing hearing it from his point of view, and I am forever thankful that I got to see him change and grow and emerge in confidence during high school. Now he is a handsome, strong and heartbreakingly tender man and I can’t wait until he meets the woman that is totally right for him. :)

For my other brother, the love came from a very difficult place. I won’t go into detail because it’s not my story to tell. However I will repeat one thing he did say in the course of our difficult conversation, which was ‘I had to call you because you’re the only one who I feel I can talk to about problems like these.’ That knowledge that he trusts me, that even though we can’t see each other as often as we could, was just such a blessing to me in the midst of revision (where relationships are often overshadowed by the dark tunnel of exams) and even though it was so hard for me to have the conversation I had with him knowing I was so helpless, I am so thankful that I can be of some help even though I am so far away. The power of words is just so insane. I cannot WAIT to get home and give him the hug I was aching to give him earlier today. What a beautiful, beautiful man.

So I felt the need to write a little post, here, even though neither of them are on Tumblr, just to appreciate the old friends that are so often forgotten in the excitement of the new people that I now have surrounding me. And to affirm that they will always be very close to my heart. Uni is full of beautiful people but sometimes I get caught up in all of the excitement and I forget that I had such a blessed family of people back home who keep me grounded and make everything into innuendos and completely own me on video games and treat me like a little sister.

SO THANKFUL. So blessed. So filled up with love. So secure in the knowledge that no matter what happens, no matter where I end up and what I end up doing and who I end up with (if I end up with anyone), I will have at least two faithful and caring brothers who will love me even if nobody else does. So amazed. :)

P.S. Big love to everyone on Tumblr :)