A Friend Spotlight - Christine

I’ve been blessed to know some incredible people who are pillars in my life; Friends who are always there for me, who are artistic geniuses and humans with whom I am so lucky to share even just a chapter of my life. Here's one...

She can function on 30 minutes of sleep a night, can’t function without her weekly passion fruit green tea and I guarantee you will NEVER find her without a camera.

Today, I introduce to you a longtime best friend... I call her Kuri, most people call her Christine.

Christine and I are what they call bosom-buddies I suppose. It all started one sunny day at the park in 1987 when my mother casually parked her stroller next to another Japanese mother-stroller duo. They bonded, most likely over the shared thrills and spills of being a new mom. Christine and I? Well, we most likely slept or cried or pooped our diapers and never even saw one other. Yet on that day, our fates were locked.

In the years that followed: we played dress-up (she took the pink dress, I took the yellow,) I made her watch ET (she was so scared), and we understood one other through our mixed Japanese-English.

Then, like any good Hollywood film, our friendship was torn apart. In 1991, her family made the move to Japan for her father’s job. Thus, while her elementary years were spent Japanese, mine were American. She wore uniforms and walked to school, I wore leggings with stirrups and took the bus.  We sent her American cereal, they sent me Japanese movies.

Then in 1997, a reunion. Her family permanently moved back to Issaquah and we began our road to a redeeming BFF-ness.

That's really when our story began. 

Twenty-three years later, I cannot imagine life without her. She is so constant and the most loyal friend I have ever had. It's simple, she loves her friends extremely well. In my first year of college when I slacked on relationship maintenance, Christine consistently initiated hangouts with unconditional grace. Her other friends and I knew and know she will be there for us at all times, day or night. No question. No hesitation.

Did I mention she is also an amazing artist? Goodness is she! The time and effort she puts into cards, drawings and other hand-made gifts is a testament of how much she cares for the recipients. Her work is always beautiful and her photography is equally breathtaking. I have a stack of cards she has made, each one beautiful and somehow always perfectly designed. She spends hours and hours on these physical tokens of her love, ignoring her own to-do list. That’s the way she is. She is the definition of friendship.  

Years of grueling yet fulfilling Japanese school together, overlapping 3 years at UW, her visit to Cambodia to see me... it's just the tip of the iceberg as far as memory-making for us. Even though I'm on the move yet again, I know physical distance doesn't mean a thing when on the other end of the friendship is her steadfastness. That means the world to me.

So, here’s a big Thank You and a toast to talented Christine as she uncovers all that’s in store for her; that she finds strength in her incredible qualities and continues to use her gifts to bless all of her friends as she has me.