Here’s To The Friends Who Are Our Greatest Cheerleaders

Here’s to our cheerleaders.

To the friends who know and accept that not everything is about them. The ones who can gracefully stay in a story without being at the center of it. Who can listen without projecting and hold space without overcrowding. Who can step onto the sidelines and throw their pompoms into the air as we dash onto the field and play.

Here’s to the friends who root for us when there’s no way we can win. Whose lone voice shouting our names from the stands is louder than the chorus of a hundred voices shouting another name. Who will look the world in its eye and chant our truth like a war cry and a freedom song against every person and system that’s ever told us we could not.

Here’s to the friends who show up for our victories with flowers and letters and cakes. Who show up for our defeats with vodka and beer and open arms. Who take us dancing to celebrate and to forget. Who know when we need the check-in calls and the I’m proud of you texts.

Here’s to the friends who see us when we don’t see ourselves. To the soul sisters and brothers who remind us of the tough parts of our journeys that we easily forget. Who throw it on the table and ask us, “if you could get through that, how could you even think this will get you down?”

Here’s to the friends who hold space for us to break in. Who get on the floor with us to pick up the pieces. Who throw a party to celebrate the new us, every single time we choose to redesign.

Here’s to the friends whose eyes light up when they hear our dreams. Whose hearts flutter with joy as they watch us climb. Whose faith fuels our journey, on whose love we soar.

Here’s to the friends who anchor us, root us, ground us. Whose eyes we look into when we can’t find our goodness and whose words we look for when we can’t find our hope.

Here’s to the friends who aren’t afraid to see us change because they never defined us anyway. Who know us not by words, but by love. Who will grow with us and wait patiently for us to grow with them.

Here’s to our cheerleaders. Those part human-part angel beings whose entry shattered every limited notion of goodness we’ve ever known.

We see you. We love you. We are grateful for you every day.