This Is What Happens When Friends Become Family

When people come into your life, it is hard to know who will stay. There will be people who you choose to keep in your life who may not choose you back, but there will also be people who you never would’ve guessed would choose you as strongly as they do. When you look around or look back, you realize just how far you’ve come together. As others have come and gone, they’ve been there, peppered through all your favorite memories and answering your late-night phone calls. If you are lucky enough to have people like this in your life, a few things will happen.

1. They will keep surprising you. Old friends do learn new tricks, and every time you make the mistake of underestimating them, you become even more thankful that you’ve found such great people to share your life with.

2. Together, you will create new traditions, and old ones will evolve. Instead of walking to math together in matching shirts that you picked out at Justice, you will spend hours talking in your kitchen about every topic under the sun and reminiscing about the past you share. Maybe you don’t go to Culvers as much anymore or hold dance parties together in your rooms, but you spend every Monday night with their family and talk on the phone multiple times weekly, no matter what city you’re in.

3. You will grow together. You support each other in bad times and celebrate together in the good times. Sometimes you go through similar things at different times and it is comforting to know that they got through it and came out stronger, wiser, and that much more beautiful. You watch each other change and choose to love this new version of them as much as the last.

4. Fights are inevitable. When you get this close to people, you can’t avoid stepping on each other’s toes from time to time. Sometimes, you get wrapped up in life and forget to check in and step in on their toes altogether. You will get upset with them, they will get upset with you, but you know that underneath it you love each other with your whole hearts and that it would take more than a few hurricanes to break your bond.

5. You understand each other on a level that only a handful of people throughout your whole life will. When you go through life together and you get to see both the best and worst of each other and still choose to stay, you might know them better than yourself. They remind you who you are when you’ve forgotten. They’re not only your best friend but your therapist, your mom, your sister, your wife, your fiancé, and your conscience all in one.

To all my friends that have become family, I couldn’t be more thankful. Thanks for choosing to share your life with me—I love you guys with my whole heart!