.bestfriends.

*This entry was inspired by the fact that I just spent three consecutive days talking heart-to-heart with three different people (separately) that I consider as my bestfriends.*

I was around three years old when I made my very first best friend. She was the little sister of my Ate's friend. Her name was Ceres. We were playmates and almost-neighbors (they lived about two streets away from us back then), and soon, we also became classmates. We didn't really have a lot in common, but for us, it was enough that she liked playing with me and I liked playing with her. We spent every morning together in school and almost every afternoon alternately going to each other's houses.

Ah. Blissful times.

Eventually, we made other friends and I began to make new bestfriends, too. Soon, four of us in the same class started to gravitate towards one another more than the others, and so we decided to make our group our "official" barkada. Our "Now and Then" era is one of my favorite childhood memories. For several years, Ceres, Odyssa, Meg and I were inseparable. We talked about anything, and we did everything together. We were tight, no doubt about that, but we also fought almost every other day about the silliest of things. When we weren't making each other cry, we were giving each other the cold shoulder. Yet, we would always make up before the day ends. We managed to maintain our closeness until we graduated from grade school. We had such high hopes for high school and were looking forward to great and exciting years together.

But some things don't really happen the way you expect them.

Shortly after high school started, I was making new bestfriends again. I think I graduated from high school calling about seven people my "bestfriend". I even made bestfriends outside of school. I think two of my bestfriends around this time were from church. My friendship with Trisha stands strong until now. And eventually, Odyssa, Meg and I resolved our "issues", and thank God, up to now, our friendship is among the strongest that held. (I never get to see Ceres anymore, but from what I hear, she has happily settled down, and I am happy for her. I'll always look back on our friendship with fondness.)

Ate used to tease me about calling just about anyone "bestfriend" that it has already lost its meaning to me (Heeyy, now that I think about it, I call my Ate my bestfriend too! And she's the best.. kung baga, built-in na eh! Love ko 'yun sobra!). But it never has.

For some reason, I just know that every single person I called as "bestfriend" has a particularly special place in my heart. I wouldn't even have considered calling them that if they didn't. Okay, so maybe I have thrown the word around quite a lot (get this: when I was in the third grade, I had my bestfriends from school, a bestfriend from Sunday School, a bestfriend in Pagsanjan and even a school bus bestfriend... all at the same time!) but I always make sure that I mean what I say. I knew that each of those people had something special in them that I wanted to get to know more of, so I made the effort to get close to them.

I guess in my own unique, albeit weird, way, I was trying to tell these people how significant and special they were (and still are!) to me. It may sound funny and absurd, but I don't care. This way, I get to have my BESSES, my BEST, my BESPREN, my BESTFRIEND, my PANGZ, and other terms of endearments that pertain to the one-of-a-kind people in my life. And I love them all with the AGAPE kind of love.

I am forever thankful to God for bringing them into my life. I never regret "overusing" the word BESTFRIEND because it meant, at the very least, that I was able to become a part of these beautiful people's lives and they became a part of mine. I know that they all had their specific and unique roles to play in whoever I am today. They are not only my constant companions in gimmicks and get-togethers - they are also my teachers, helping me learn much about life, love, relationships, and people.

From my earlier years, I know I had grown up quite a lot. I no longer spend my time thinking about the petty things that the grade school and high school social life was all about (although sometimes, it's also fun to indulge and talk about these things when we get together.. we get a good laugh out of it!). I began to to be more aware, and perhaps selective, of the people I allowed to enter in. In college, I only called two very special people as my bestfriends, even though I made plenty of other good friends. It was the depth that made the difference. I love them all equally, though I truly share my life with only a few.

And up to the present, there is still only one person I can truly claim to be my covenant friend. ;)

See? I am growing up, after all!

As I said in one of my earlier blog entries, "I have a number of intimately close friends with whom I share my dreams and visions, and a great many friends who give me plenty of reasons to smile each day."

The passing of time inevitably brings about change, and some of the marvelous people I call my bestfriends, I rarely get to see anymore. Yes, it's sad, but it's okay, because I know for sure that I will never forget them. They are already written in the pages of the history of my life, and they have each made their own, distinct marks on my heart that will not fade away.