If you’ve spoken to me for any length of time I can assure that you’ve heard of my one true hero, Mary Harris. The woman who loved me when I could barely even make it one more day living the life I had been given. The one who fought for me endlessly, and the one whose emails I could still pull up that show the lengths she went to in order to make sure I was taken care of, loved, and safe.
Well, it marks four years ago today [ 11.30.20 ] that I walked into her office for the first time for a counseling session I didn’t know would change my entire life. Knee deep in a depression I wouldn’t name and that I drastically wrote off because come on, someone out there had it worse, why should I complain?
Within the 18 months that I was her student.. (eighteen months… that just goes to show how much she loved me), she taught me what it meant to love someone wholly, and deeply, regardless of what they were going through, or what their past looks like. I learned how to talk about my feelings, my life, and my weaknesses all within the four walls of a square office and some really cool putty to play with.
I can remember how I always told my friends, “Mary’s so cool, if we could be friends, we definitely would be.”
She sat with me through months of deflecting conversation, and not being truthful of where I was at. She sat with me in pain, and brought me back to the ground when I needed it the most. She sat with me in confusion when the opportunity to work at Black Diamond came along. I hear her voice in my head a lot and I’ll most certainly never forget the words I heard when I told her that I was just going to move to Washington and see what happens. (Insert tears here)
While I could go on for hours about this incredible woman and all the things I learned within those 18 months, let’s fast forward to the last “session” I had with her. She gladly put me on her schedule on the Monday that I was getting on a plane and leaving for WA. There we sat, for at least two hours, just talking and getting the counseling closure I didn’t know I needed. She chose me. She loved me enough to sit there through her lunch break, and just talk. She shared some of her life with me, and prayed for me wholeheartedly. And let me just tell you, if you need someone to pray for you, it’s this woman. She’s legitimately got a direct line to the big guy that you want in on.
So let’s go to December of 2018 when I had the privilege of going to breakfast with her after being in Washington for 7 months. I was anxious, but that’s when I finally worked up the courage and I very nervously said: “I’m not sure what this even looks like, but I just want to take you with me wherever I go in life, will you think about becoming my mentor?”
To which she without hesitation replied a sweet “it would be an honor”… and then I could breath again.
So now, I’ve got her in my back pocket and with each and every phone call or adventure we go on, I feel the bond become that much stronger. & I even get to play with her son, who by the way is totally jealous I’m traveling the world this season, when we go on adventures play in rivers… it’s SO fun, he’s the best.
So here’s to Mary & our 4 year friendaversary. I am so blessed to have you in my life, and I literally can’t wait to see what our friendship blooms into. An enneagram 4 & 7… what could ever go wrong?
Love you always,
Kristin
