"You've Changed My World"

Tonight I was given possibly one of the most amazing compliments I have ever received. It came from a friend of mine named Chelsea. We went to Mercy together, had a few classes, worked on different organizations, etc. She was one of those people I was good friends with in school, but didn’t really hang out on weekends or anything. Not for any reason in particular, we just had separate groups of friends. Chelsea’s always been a very outgoing, bubbly, sweet girl who smiled at everyone and was willing to help you out if you needed it. She ended up going to Western with me, we lived in the same dorm our freshmen year. We would often eat together in the cafeteria....since I had lost most of my good friends then, she became someone I really leaned on. Looking back on those days now, I am really lucky to have had Chelsea during that time. I wish that I had realized it more back then! Anyways, she ended up leaving Western after our freshmen year. She moved to NYC shortly after, where she still lives to this day. Now she reads my blog, and we facebook every once in a while….here is what she said tonight…yes, I copied it from our facebook chat. Shut up.

“In a gentle way, you’ve changed my world. You’ve always been this strong force of optimism and support, no matter how close or distant we’ve been. You’ve always stepped in when I needed a friend the most, and you are a wonderful person. Though we’ve never been close friends, you’ve always been in my thoughts and prayers as a genuine person who I hope nothing but the best for…and I am proud to know you. You are probably that person to far more people than you realize. You’ve always been there as someone I could trust with every fiber of my being. You care for people in a complelty unselfish way, I’ve always recognized that”.

Cue tears coming down my cheeks. I appreciate whenever someone gives me a compliment such as this, or tells me how they feel about me whether it is good or bad, but the fact that it came from someone who I don’t even talk to that often just really touches my heart. I’m not sure exactly what I did for her to make her feel this way about me, but I am SO glad that I can be there for her as someone she trusts and can rely on, because that is the person I strive to be for all my friends, even if things have happened between us or we’ve grown apart.
Chelsea wants me to visit her in NYC soon. Although it probably won’t work out this summer, if I am placed on the East Coast for Mercy Volunteer Corps I am DEFINATLEY fitting that in :)

Thank you, Chelsea, for always being such a wonderful person and for simply proving what I’ve been blogging about recently: Mercy is home. Nothing will ever change that.