Since we’ve been friends, this is the TENTH year that we’re not celebrating your birthday together. TEN YEARS. That’s an awful lot of time to be apart. Especially for best friends. But I’m not worried at all. Because you are more than my girl best friend. You’re my sister. And sisters don’t grow apart.

But your best friend is still your best friend. Even from half a world away. Distance can’t sever that connection. Best friends are the kind of people who can survive anything. And when best friends see each other again, after being separated by half a world and more miles than you think you can bear, you pick up right where you left off. After all, that’s what best friends do.” – Unknown

I don’t know if you recall the exact time we became friends. It was in Cebu, your hometown, back in 1996.  I was new in the area, I had just relocated, did not speak the dialect, no family and no friends, and you kind of decided you would take me under your wing. You probably didn’t realize it at that time, but you were one of the reasons why I didn’t pack my bags and go back to Manila. It was your warmth and kindness that drew me to you, and it was then that I knew we were gonna be friends for a lifetime.

21 years later and here we are, still the best of friends. We’ve shared a lot together, and I mean A LOT. Come to think about it, we’ve been together for almost half of our lifetime! You are the Cristina to my Meredith, or do you want to be Meredith and I can be Cristina? Whatever, it’s your birthday, you get to choose. What I’m just saying is, aside from my husband who’s also my bestfriend, you are my person. Years of conversations over coffee and ice cream, books we’ve read and movies that we watched together, karaoke sessions, celebrations of our successes, tears over failed relationships and galit sa mga lalaking gusto natin ipakulam, I thank you for all those. I cannot imagine going through them with anyone else but you. Thank you for for being the keeper of my secrets, my conscience and voice of reason for the times I’m tempted to go to the dark side, haha. Thank you too for being godmother to my kids, I know that you love them as much as I do. I hope that I didn’t give you too much of a headache. Between the two of us, you’re the “ate” and I’m the “bunso”, so for whatever it’s worth, at least I know I taught you patience. 😂

On your birthday, there is nothing that I wish for but that which will give you utmost happiness. You have given so much of yourself to others without asking for anything in return, so you, of all people, deserve to be happy. You are beautiful and kind and amazing, and I will always be here to remind you of that.

When we’re much, much older, and our skins are wrinkled and our hairs are gray….wait, wait, no, scratch that. That will never happen because we are both youthful looking, and we’ll just color the grays and forever have brown hair. Let me start over. When we’re much, much older but people can’t tell our age –because that’s just the way it is,  we will still be best friends and sisters. And no matter how much time or distance is between us, we will never grow apart.

I love you, always. Happy birthday ♥

By the way, I stole one of your shots from your album to use as my post cover. Now send me my doodle already so I can replace it. 🤣

Relocate