There is something to be said about a friend that will leave you alone in her house, trusting you to feed the cat and lock the door when you leave. "Stay as long as you need to," she says.

I am in awe of friendship. I am sitting in a house of long-standing friendship, thinking, "how did I get here? and why haven't these people kicked me out yet?" Alia and I have, in a sense, shared our lives for several years now, so our friendship is like wearing a pair of broken-in jeans; they just fit well. I don't know if I am more "myself" with her than with most people, because I don't know what that means, but it comes pretty close. And then Angela. Little did I know that the woman who gushed about Donald Miller at a state speech meet competition would also live in this long-standingfriendshiphouse. From theater teacher to mentor to friend, from Montana and back again, I've discovered that this lady's my twin, so I need to pay attention. I have bared all before them, and have borne a lot with them. And they still love me a lot.

And these are only two of my friends. There are certainly more I could write about. How did I get so lucky?