Welcome back to another blog everyone! I am so excited about this specific entry because I get to talk about my best friend, Christina Jules! Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin because I can talk about her all day long. We first met at The First Haitian Church of God of Roselle, which is our home church to this day. When we were younger, we’d see each other here and there but never really spoke due to our language barrier. She had just moved to New Jersey from Haiti only speaking creole and I only spoke English at the time. It wasn’t until we were about nine and ten years old that we officially became friends.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I knelt to pray and I saw her in front of me wearing the same sandals that I had on. I tapped her from behind and pointed to our sandals to bring to her attention that we were matching. From that day on, we’ve been inseparable. Little did I know that those matching sandals would give me one of the most valuable relationships of my life.
Although Tina and I are best friends, people fail to realize that we are entirely two different people. I love to give her hugs but she doesn’t like to receive them. I’m an extrovert and she’s an introvert. I prefer receiving text messages while she prefers receiving phone calls. Despite our distinct personalities, we mesh so well and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I honestly believe that it is because of our differences our friendship still exists. There are times where I can get so worked up over something so small because I tend to overthink situations a lot. Tina is the one who calms me down in those moments because out of the two of us, she is not one to overthink but more so go with the flow. Then there are times where Tina might be going through something and she honestly needs nothing from me but my presence. We don’t address her situation until she is ready to disclose and neither do I force her to. I am there as her friend to support her, whether through silence or discussing the situation at hand.
Although Tina and I are unique in our own way, we are very similar, if not the same, when it comes to our core values as Christians, women, friends, and so much more beyond those areas in life. Which is another reason why I value our friendship. For example, we hold God as a priority in our friendship and as individuals. We do not hide the fact that we are Christians first and that faithfulness definitely strengthens our relationship. We can openly talk about our lives as Christians and how the walk with Christ is not always easy. We also share very similar views on friendships in general. Loyalty is something that we value and it's to the point where we don’t look at each other as best friends but more so as sisters. Tina and I grew up together. We’ve learned life lessons together and because of that, transparency has become key to our relationship. There are no secrets, nor do we hold grudges. Through the good, the bad, the pretty, and the ugly, our loyalty to each other is unmatched.
One of the questions people will generally ask when it comes to our friendship is, “Do you guys ever argue?” The answer to that is no. I know, strange right? The truth is that Tina and I have never argued throughout our years of being friends. That does not mean that we do not get on each other’s nerves, lol, because we absolutely do. There are, of course, few reasons why we don’t argue. One is because we simply do not want to. We just aren’t interested in going back and forth with one another. If one of us did something to offend the other, we aren’t quick to bicker about what happened but instead process the intention behind what occurred. We know that our intentions are never to hurt or belittle the other person, so with that in mind, we do one of the two things; 1) Kindly address what was done & how it may have affected the other person or 2) let it go, lol. We simply aren't the ones to dwell on something that isn’t going to further us as people or friends.
Tina has been nothing but a gem in my life. She has done things for me that I could never repay her for. She’s proven to me time and time again that she is not just here for me but also for my family. I can always trust her to hold me accountable for my behavior, letting me know when I’m wrong and when I’m right. She cries when I cry and shouts for joy when I have overcome. She is someone that I can always count on without a doubt, knowing she will show up. Her love for me is genuine and that is why I try my best to show her that I am someone that she can depend on as well. I thank God for blessing me with a best friend I can also call my sister. If there is one thing I can tell anyone about Tina, it's that she is one of the most loyal and thoughtful individuals you will ever meet. Now, I am not saying these are qualities you’ll notice the moment you meet her, lol, but when you get to know her for who she is, you will recognize that she has one of the biggest hearts you’ll ever encounter. Tina, I know you’re reading this and I just want to say thank you for loving me for who I am! Know that I love you and no matter what, I will always cherish our beautiful friendship!
