Birthday Love for my April 15th Friend

I woke up thinking about Arianne Lehn today because it's her birthday.  We have been friends for 5 years, and it was an instant friendship.  I love instant friendships! 


The 'She' book!

What is crazy is that I have an Arianne and an Ariane.  Two different people, two different pronunciations, and two different friendships. 

Another thing that is crazy....the first week of life at Bethel, Ariane and I went to Edgren 3rd floor girls' side to FIND Arianne and her roommate because we heard she lived with a Jessica.  WE thought it was so funny, but surprise - our Ariane and Jessica delivery was not very polished.  Arianne, as usual, was gracious.  Her roommate was really not.

 We really became friends when we were juniors.  When she got back from a semester in Italy, we spent hours talking over breakfast in the atrium.  I loved it, even with the questionable eggs.  Those are some of my favorite memories from Bethel. 



There is a quote by George Eliot (or is it really by Dinah Craik? or Elizabeth Barrett Browning?) that has always been our mantra for friendship.  It's speaks of authenticity.

"Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort, of being safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are - chaff and grain together - knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away."


Arianne is a writer at heart, and she sent me long and winding and wonderful e-mails and letters from Taiwan the year after we graduated.  She went there to work with a church in Taipei.  It was the year I subbed everywhere.  Therefore, she read through a lot of e-mails about my confusion in teaching, and received my life as a sub.  In return, her e-mails taught me a lot about Asian culture, striking out and adventuring well, and how she and Jeff were in love while far away from each other.  


Their wedding was a very Arianne and Jeff affair...themes about light, candles instead of flowers, purple and silver decor, a blizzard, a friend from Taiwan who drove through that blizzard (though he had never before seen snow), good live music, words that had lots of meaning, and good people everywhere.  I love the Braithwaite family, AND I love the Lehns. 


A side note about another best friend...AFTER this wedding, I stayed with Molly and John.  It was 1:00 in the morning, the blizzard was still going strong, and I had to wear boots with my dress to even get out of the car.  When I got to the door, Molly was there.  She had everything ready, and there were fuzzy socks waiting for me too.   I love this memory of greeting her at her door...for some reason it's in my memory forever.  Probably because it's another form of inexpressible comfort, of being safe with a person, knowing that, even at 1:00 in the morning, she would separate chaff from the grain for me too.


This year Arianne will graduate from seminary, and she and Jeff will be in a new season of life again.  Something away from Chicago, and something a little scary and new and good.   I celebrate this too. 


So Happy 26th Birthday Arianne!  I'm sending love and good wishes across the miles today to you.