8th grade pen pal
This is Sofie.
AKA my best friend, sister, and 8th-grade pen pal from Denmark. I’ve never met someone who’s so similar to me. She gets me better than most people do. As soon as I met her, I knew we would be friends for a while.
Friends since 14, and still going strong at 22 years old.
May 13, 2015
The first time Sofie came to Michigan.
Sofie knows everything about me. My dreams, my fears, and my most embarrassing stories. She’s a part of the Good family and believe it or not, despite being 3,931 miles away, has experienced some of my happiest days with me.
Monday, November 28th is her 22nd birthday, so in honor of Sofie, today’s little blog post is about how we went from pen pals to family. Cheesy, but true.
Friendship is something SO valuable to me. A priority in my life for sure. Family and friends mesh as one. Once we’re close, you're family (no escaping after that). So it’s not a surprise that 7 years later Sofie is still a part of this family. My Denmark sister. Our friendship story is probably one of my favorites to tell.
One day in 8th grade English class our teacher proposed the idea of having pen pals from Denmark. She explained that after a while, those pen pals will then become “foreign exchange students” for 2 weeks and live with us. I raised my hand as a joke and said I would like to consider having a pen pal. I figured, my parents would NEVER say yes to this. I would take the paper, look cool and then “sadly” come back the next day because my parents said no. That night when I got home, I asked my parents and they did not hesitate ONCE. I began to get a little nervous. This was only a joke right? I could never have someone live with me who I knew nothing about? What if she hates me? I confessed my worries to my parents and they laughed in my face.
“You're doing it. This might be your lifelong best friend how could you pass up this opportunity?” my dad said. Another moment where I took a leap of faith and ended up being extremely grateful I did.
The next day I went to school, paper signed by my parents, and signed up for a pen pal. Little did I know she would soon become, as my dad had said, my lifelong best friend.
After writing back and forth for a couple of weeks, my parents welcomed her into our home with open arms. I remember so vividly the first night she stayed at our house. She sat there timidly as we all watched her eat dinner. Imagine the awkwardness. Sitting in silence without a clue that 7 years later we would go to Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, South Carolina and Hawaii, living with each other for a month.
March. My favorite month of 2022.
We surprised my family with Sofie when they came to visit me this year in Hawaii. A week before she flew out she booked her ticket and my parents had no idea. Another thing I admire about Sofie, she’s always down for anything, regardless of the challenges that might come along with it. Sofie flew on the SAME PLANE as my family and we somehow still surprised them at the airport. An almost 24-hour travel day from Denmark to Hawaii. The ultimate surprise that warms my heart every time I watch the video.
The fact that Sofie has become such a huge part of my family is amazing. I never would have imagined that someone who started out as a pen pal across the world would end up being like a sister to me. I will always hype Sofie up. She is the type of person who lights up any room she walks into. She effortlessly makes you feel heard and loved. She sees the good and brings out the good in everyone.
Sofie is the type of person you never get sick of.
She is the definition of friendship.
Friendship should be easy, effortless, and pure. It should be filled with giggles, late-night talks, and pointless stories. It should be fulfilling. You should lift each other up and push each other to be the best you know they can be. Regardless of distance, you always feel connected. You listen, support, and comfort each other without a question. Friendship is something to be celebrated. It’s special. That’s why I value my friends SO much. They all play a little part in making me the person I am today.
Today's blog post isn’t like the others but I wanted to share how special my best friend Sofie is. Also, since Thanksgiving was 2 days ago this is a good time to reflect on how God has blessed me with amazing friendships. Friendships that make me feel lucky every day. Never hurts to count your blessings.
So, hug your friends. Tell them you love them. Send them a picture of your favorite song playing on the radio and say this reminds me of you. Send them love letters. Hold them close because friendship is something you shouldn’t take for granted. Especially if that friendship is with someone you got to know through lined paper 3,931 miles away.
It’s not every day you get to call your 8th-grade pen pal family.
