(Jewel, "I'm Sensitive")
The purpose of this page is to honor the extraordinary people in my own life and to share why it is that they are one of my own personal angels.
"When life held troubled times and had me down on my knees
There's always been someone to come along and comfort me..."
~Alabama, "Angels Among Us"~
Lately, my life really has held *troubled times*... but through this darkness I have come to recognize one of the everyday angels in my life - one of my sisters.
I honestly don't know where I would be right now if not for the continuous support and love of my sweetie pie, Amber Gayle. :) She's done so much for me this past month that I don't even know where to start - and if I talked about all of it we'd be here all day... :) So I suppose I'll just have to pick out a few extra-special examples of her sweetness. :)
In the difficult times leading up to and after my hospitalization, I hadn't been emailing Amber Gayle very frequently - but once I wrote to tell her what had happened, I was just amazed by how easy and natural it seemed to slip right back into our friendship. I was incredibly touched by Amber Gayle's response to my initial email about depression and the hospital - she told me how she admires me as a caring friend and an insightful person. It meant a lot to know that Amber Gayle saw these wonderful things in me. :)
"...I don't have to pretend, she doesn't expect it from me..."
~Sarah McLachlan, "Good Enough"~
It also really meant a lot when she emailed me a few days later, trusting me with something she hadn't ever told anyone else. I was so honored that she felt she could trust me like that - and I in turn trusted her with some things about myself I don't normally share with anyone. As I expected, Amber Gayle accepted what I told her simply, as she had accepted other things before - for her, it was just another part of a person she knew and loved. Amber Gayle has such gifts of acceptance - she accepts her friends unquestioningly, and she accepts the changes in her life and relationships. I've learned a lot about the good of the open-hearted human soul from Amber Gayle.
Another of her gifts is her tremendous ability to be a caring friend - I know Amber Gayle will ALWAYS be there for me. There are so many times that she's listened to my problems or my times of feeling sorry for myself, brushing off my apologies because "If you don't talk to somebody, things just get worse and you feel worse, and I'm glad I can help, even if it is in this small capacity." She always takes the time to reply and to offer advice or insight or support. Often I find myself going to Amber Gayle when I'm most upset and then checking my email later, only to read some words of kindness or reassurance that just make my whole night so much brighter. I have also learned so much about the immense power of Kindness from my newest sister.
One more very special thing Amber Gayle has done for me is the way she has supported my poetry attempts. Instead of getting annoyed by my frequent bouts of insecurity :), she always tells me I'm talented and I write beautifully and I'm a wonderful poet. Awww... and you wonder why I call her sweetie pie! :) She's even the president of Katie Rose's Fan Club... hee-hee... and you can bet that'll look good on a college application! ;)
I know there are many more instances of Amber Gayle's Angel-Status that I'm forgetting or not including right here... but she knows how much I appreciate all she's done and the wonderful friendship we share, and how much I love her - even her *crazy* Dawson's Creek Wannabe self. :) Yep... cool beans! :)
Thanks so much, Amber Gayle, for being a sister, and angel, and a best friend! I love you!
"Best feeling in the world:
Joy. And that feeling you get when
you've had a friend for a while,
but the two of you start to get even closer..."
~Amber Gayle Smith, from a survey~