JJ & Nyla

We were coming home from Big Creek the other day after spending the afternoon with our friend Stacy and her 2 little ones, Nyla & lil J.J. Out of the blue on the drive home our JJ said to me, “Mommy, Nyla my friend.” He said it so sincerely and sweetly that it brought tears to my eyes. We had just come from the beach where JJ & Nyla built sand castles, then played at the park, and then at the last minute on the way to the car they got distracted in a field of dandelions. All of a sudden they were running around picking dandelions, chasing after one another and rolling down the hills. Even though we were supposed to be leaving, Stacy and I stopped and she grabbed her camera and we watched those two have the time of their lives in a field of weeds. As we sat there watching them roll down the hill I thought, this is such a beautiful picture of childhood…..not a toy around, not a care in the world, just running through a field laughing and giggling with huge smiles on their faces. I think we sat there for at least 20 minutes just watching them. After that day I realized that the beauty of friendship is that it just happens....it can't be forced. These two have been together so much over the past couple months, and as the days have added up, they have developed a very strong bond. JJ gets along with almost every child his age, but he doesn’t play and interact with his other friends the way he does with Nyla. There is something about her that he has just really become attached to. He would do anything to make her laugh, and when I see those two get the giggles it reminds me of my first childhood friend Tracee. We met in first grade and we were attached to eachother for many years after. The thing I always remember about Tracee is how we would get the giggles and then couldn’t stop laughing. When I see JJ and Nyla together it reminds me so much of my own childhood. I can’t quite put my finger on what makes their friendship so special, but I think it is that they just ‘get’ eachother. Now that's what friends are made for!

"What is a friend? I will tell you...it is someone with whom you dare to be yourself."

~ Frank Crane