A Letter to a Friend

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My dearest Life Long Friend



In a few days you will be heading back home for good, I have such mixed feelings about it! Silly really after all it’s not my life. I am juggling happiness, sadness, apprehension and anticipation all at the same time. We have never been "in your pocket" friends but I'm going to miss you. The SKYPEs and random thirty minutes phone calls for no reason what so ever, just having someone close that knows exactly how we feel as we make our way through the process of settling. 

In some ways I disagree with your decision to return home, but I also know that you never really left, not emotionally anyway. You have been out of your comfort zone, felt alien and unsupported and were never able to settle. Immigration has to be the hardest thing for anyone to do, I know what you have been through and I am sorry I could not provide the extra support you needed.

Africa it seems was willing to release only one of us, she still has your soul, it is a call you must answer.

So while I am sad to see you go it makes me happy to hear the excitement in your voice when you call me to discuss things. While it saddens me that it will be a very long time before we see one another I am so happy for your sisters. They have missed you, I am sure, as much as you have missed them.  Though I am apprehensive about things going as smoothly as you hope I shall be waiting with anticipation to hear about all your new adventures.

Thank you for all the years of friendship, but especially these past seven years. Thank you for agreeing to be my "moving buddy." For those insane organisational skills that helped to make our move seamless and relatively painless. For putting up with us for our first four weeks and helping us "find our feet." Thank you for being my confidant and keeping my secrets, for your reliability and your loyalty. Thank you for your trust and your willingness to help. Thank you for the insults and complete lack of sympathy. Thank you for making me laugh till I cried, for cowboy hats, copper baths, UFUs, Bacardi and tabs, Hooch and many other alcoholic beverages.

I wish you happiness old friend, oodles and oodles of happiness, the kind of happiness that gets under your skin and into your soul. I wish you love, unabashed, unconditional, unending love, the kind of love that surrounds you and consumes you. I wish you light because no matter the choices you make or roads you take there will be dark days ahead.

Remember to chill out and relinquish some of that need to control everything and just let things happen sometimes. Remember to take some time for yourself. Remember that sometimes a little empathy is called for.

I will always remember you when I take out "those rosary bead things" and "talk to that catholic God!" and when I do it will always make me smile.

Thank you my Life Long Friend for the memories! Farewell and safe journey home. I Hope Mama Africa beats her thunder drums to welcome you back to her.



Love you forever and for always

Mantha

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