Has it really been that long?

For my own sanity, I will not write about my struggles over the past few weeks. I will be brave.

Today, my bestfriend from college, Mark, is driving from Chicago to spend the weekend with me. He has graduated from training and is now a full-fledged helicopter pilot for the army. In May, he will be shipped to Iraq to fight a war that has been far from me until now.

I am nervous; it's been a year and a half since we've seen each other. A lot has happened in a year and a half. We've both changed. I wonder if we'll be able to adjust.

But I'm going to be brave. When I go home, I'm going to say hello to Maxi as usual and tidy up the place. Then when he comes I'm going to hug him so tightly, it would make any military man nervous.

Because great friends are hard to come by. And I want him to know that I know. And that makes me brave.