Christmas Cards

Just finished writing out and addressing my Christmas cards for 2014.  What a year.  Good, bad, otherwise ... I learned a lot during this revolution of the sun.  Mainly, I learned what it means to be a friend, and what it means to have a friend.
There's a difference between the two, right?  Being a friend might mean meeting a girlfriend for an impromptu happy hour, or it might mean waiting for an hour for a pedi on a Sunday afternoon (Willi!) or it might mean ... just being there, to listen, wax poetic on bullshit, commiserate on the woes of the world.  When changes happens, one learns quickly who is a friend and, well, who isn't.
At the precipice of the close of this year, I can't help but think of those who have helped me along the way.  This has been a bitch of a year.
Blog-sphere or real-sphere, I feel obliged to give props to the folks who have helped me continue to see the light.
Of course, the obvies like Ghost and Efed, the best brother and sister a girl could ever ask for top the list.  I'm lucky and blessed to have such great siblings with whom I can connect, communicate, commiserate, and even more so, enjoy!  I know there are so many sibling dynamics that don't have the same situation.
But Family goes so much deeper for me.  Maybe it's because I have no parents.  I'm not sure.  But, I feel it noteworthy ... so, here goes.
Thank you to:
Willis for being boss, a gem of a human and a light of a friend.  You and Simmy (my sun!) have helped this transition into Nati life be so much easier.  Edub for being a rock, no matter the weather - that woman always has an umbrella in hand.  B Weeze, you know how to keep things moving, and have helped more than you realize, My sweet Anya, who encourages, reels me in and keeps me on the narrow, I know my life wouldn't be the same without you.  Cousin Paul, you remind me of the holler life we seek to exceed, artist James, you keep me inked in the right ways; Rubin, you're a stellar human and a gem; ERock, you bring a light to my days that is unmatched, Gussy, you know how to keep the fire lit, Sigafit, you remind me of what the Price Hill days were meant to be ...

Mostly, in this season of giving thanks and counting blessings, I return to the truth I found in the ghetto, and know that what I learned on those streets is unmatched and untouched by anything this world round.  I'm thankful, grateful, and blessed to have made it out - alive, whole, inked and scarred, a woman of strength and determination.
Happy holidays, y'all!