I've recently done some thinking & it's occurred to me that as I've written about my closest friends over the years, I've never dedicated an entry to Zach. I guess I just saved the best for last? Not sure. I know not when I'll be leaving the U.S. to move to Nepal but as I think about it & think about those I'll be leaving behind, I begin to get teary-eyed when I think of saying bye to Zachary. In 2008, a tall, lanky, awkward "kid" came to join the crew at Missouri Valley FCU. First impressions of Zach? Quiet & boring. Boy was I wrong! I don't recall when I finally realized that my perception of him distinctly incorrect but over the last 5 years, he's went from dull & uninteresting to being not just the person that has made me laugh more than any other but a lot more. If you would have asked me if I'd ever be best pals with someone 11 years younger than myself, that would have been a definite no. Yet, that is exactly what he's grown to be. We have learned that while we have many differences, we are A LOT alike. While we both are relatively picky eaters (& we dislike the exact same things - tomatoes, onions, etc.), we are both very adventurous with our taste-buds. There are very few people that enjoy going to try different ethnic foods - we both LOVE to do so & generally, like the same things. I can go anywhere & confidently order for Zach knowing that he will like whatever I choose because I simply must order him the same thing I am having or something that I know I would also like. When the Festival of Nations took place here in St. Louis a couple of months ago, there was no question in my mind who I wanted to go with me. I knew that I'd not have to worry about him being unhappy with the food; in fact, I knew we would share food. Share we did. He may differ from me on his musical preferences (he despises Country Music) but I believe he would admit to being suprised at the fact that I have liked the majority of that which he listens to. He hates baseball & we could fight about that all day long but it's not worth it. Our sense of humor is quite similar. Both of us being very dry & sarcastic. Many have a difficult time understanding whether or not we are kidding with them. Yet, we never have to question one another. We take great pleasure in our ability to pull a good prank on someone & are thrilled to have pulled a good one over on our former boss a couple of years ago (not sure that was nearly as amused at that moment). Not only is he someone I just really enjoy my time with but he is truly like a brother to me. I've never had an older brother & unless my parents somehow adopt an adult male older than myself, I never will. And, while Zach is younger than me, he acts like an older brother in many ways. I've always envisioned a big brother as a protector. Several years ago, I was involved in a not-so-great relationship. As I tried to move forward & had a hard time doing so, Zach would often tell me, "Heather, you deserve so much better than this." He has always been looking out for my best interest. Zach was in Kuwait when N.P. & I began talking to one another. Excited about the possibility that I thought might be ahead of me, I immediately wrote Zach to tell him all about N.P. As any good brother would do, Zach questioned me on some things. He expressed his concerns. Today, N.P. & Zach have spoken a few times & Zach is confident in my relationship with N.P. & has no doubt that N.P. & I love one another & N.P. will take great care of me. I did not need Zach's approval but I'm thankful to have received it - it means a lot to me as I value his opinion & thoughts. Zach is young but mature beyond his years. His dad may argue otherwise (actually, there is no "may"; he would!) but really, he is. I've a ton of respect & admiration for Zach. He is the "give the shirt off his back" to anybody kind of guy regardless as to who it is, if he likes them or knows them. He's the rare guy not interested in dating around just for the sheer sake of doing so or obtaining whatever he can from a girl. He's the guy that believes that once you're a parent, your role & responsibility is to parent. Your life is no longer about YOUR wants & YOUR desires but you should become selfless putting your child before you. He's the guy that might be tired, have a million things to do & be super busy but if you are hurting & need a friend, he'll drop everything to be there to listen. He's the guy that might get irritated with me & say, "Heather, I hate you" or "Heather, I want to murder you" & 5 minutes later divulge the very depths of his heart with me. He's the guy that while he might feel bad that I hurt my leg, he'll laugh at me gimping around. He's the guy that has worked hard to protect me from stupid mistakes that would harm me. He's the guy that has come to sit in an Emergency Room with me to make sure I'm OK when for sure, he had things he much rather be doing. He's the guy that taught me how to tie a scarf (yeah, I know...weird). He's the guy that can't carry a tune but sure does have stage presence. He's the guy that I have had the joy of sitting next to nearly every day for the last 5 years. As many of you may know, you oftentimes spend more time with those you work with than your own family. Not that you want it to be so but that's just how it is...we work 8-10 hrs. a day, go home, see our families a few hours in the evening & repeat. Not only have I spent a large amount of time with Zach inside of work but together, we've spent tons of time outside of work whether it be eating out, him hanging out here at our house, taking students out together or whatever...we've been with each other often. Not only is he an important part of my life but my family's life - my parents, my sister, aunt, uncle & cousins love him. He is always willing to help out when needed. Goodbyes have never come easy for me. Seems that from a young age, I've experienced many of them. Throughout the years, I don't know that I could say they've become any less difficult for me even though they've been frequent occurrences in my life. There are some that I've had the pleasure of knowing & while it's sad to say farewell at the initial moment, life has a way of just moving on. We lose contact, stay out of touch. There are others that no matter what, I still think about them often. I miss them. I think of my sister Claudia in Germany. My brother Volter on the East Coast. All of my Nepali brothers that were here in 2010 (Prasoon, Narayan, Dilesh, Keshav, Pratik, Sujan, Arpit & Ishwor). Those were hard goodbyes & even still, my heart longs to see them all. They will always, no matter where they are, be significant to me. Zach is definitely one that, when the time comes, no amount of preparation will ready for me goodbye. I am so thankful that God put this young kid in my life & even more so for the friendship that has grown between us & the relationship that I'll get to see develop between he & N.P. as well. I am absolutely elated that Zach has agreed to be the Best Man in mine & N.P.'s wedding. I'm pleased that as N.P. knows no one here, the person that has had my back & been there for me more than any other friend over the last few years will stand beside N.P. & support of our marriage one to another. I'm excited for the day in the future when Zach comes to visit us in Nepal. Anxious to see the family he'll have one day knowing that he will make an excellent husband & father down the road. We often joke...Zach is an English major & neither he nor I like acronyms. As we joke, I like to tell him he's my BFF. Yes, annoying as that is (the BFF), it's true. He really is one of my best friends & forever will be. He likes to try to make me cry. Not sure why that is fun for him but it is. He thinks back to when I learned he was going to be deployed - I was getting teary-eyed months in advance. Now, he loves to torment me & say, "I can't imagine when you leave this time. You're already about to cry now." And, he's right. Knowing that I'm moving to where I know God wants me to be & that I get do so with the person I love with all of my heart that God has gifted me gives me great joy. However, that does not mean that there is a bit of sadness when I think about leaving behind those I love the most. For those (including Zach) I pray God's best. I pray that as we go through life meeting new people & saying our goodbyes, that we would all be reminded of that which I often hear God saying to me, "Heather, I will never leave you nor forsake you." No other can ever offer that. Yet, I'm thankful...I'm thankful for Zach. I pray that I've made some type of impact on his life & that his life has been made better because of having me in it. I know mine has been enriched greatly because of him. Sunday, October 20, 2013
Insight into the "Unique One" - aka...Zachary
I've recently done some thinking & it's occurred to me that as I've written about my closest friends over the years, I've never dedicated an entry to Zach. I guess I just saved the best for last? Not sure. I know not when I'll be leaving the U.S. to move to Nepal but as I think about it & think about those I'll be leaving behind, I begin to get teary-eyed when I think of saying bye to Zachary. In 2008, a tall, lanky, awkward "kid" came to join the crew at Missouri Valley FCU. First impressions of Zach? Quiet & boring. Boy was I wrong! I don't recall when I finally realized that my perception of him distinctly incorrect but over the last 5 years, he's went from dull & uninteresting to being not just the person that has made me laugh more than any other but a lot more. If you would have asked me if I'd ever be best pals with someone 11 years younger than myself, that would have been a definite no. Yet, that is exactly what he's grown to be. We have learned that while we have many differences, we are A LOT alike. While we both are relatively picky eaters (& we dislike the exact same things - tomatoes, onions, etc.), we are both very adventurous with our taste-buds. There are very few people that enjoy going to try different ethnic foods - we both LOVE to do so & generally, like the same things. I can go anywhere & confidently order for Zach knowing that he will like whatever I choose because I simply must order him the same thing I am having or something that I know I would also like. When the Festival of Nations took place here in St. Louis a couple of months ago, there was no question in my mind who I wanted to go with me. I knew that I'd not have to worry about him being unhappy with the food; in fact, I knew we would share food. Share we did. He may differ from me on his musical preferences (he despises Country Music) but I believe he would admit to being suprised at the fact that I have liked the majority of that which he listens to. He hates baseball & we could fight about that all day long but it's not worth it. Our sense of humor is quite similar. Both of us being very dry & sarcastic. Many have a difficult time understanding whether or not we are kidding with them. Yet, we never have to question one another. We take great pleasure in our ability to pull a good prank on someone & are thrilled to have pulled a good one over on our former boss a couple of years ago (not sure that was nearly as amused at that moment). Not only is he someone I just really enjoy my time with but he is truly like a brother to me. I've never had an older brother & unless my parents somehow adopt an adult male older than myself, I never will. And, while Zach is younger than me, he acts like an older brother in many ways. I've always envisioned a big brother as a protector. Several years ago, I was involved in a not-so-great relationship. As I tried to move forward & had a hard time doing so, Zach would often tell me, "Heather, you deserve so much better than this." He has always been looking out for my best interest. Zach was in Kuwait when N.P. & I began talking to one another. Excited about the possibility that I thought might be ahead of me, I immediately wrote Zach to tell him all about N.P. As any good brother would do, Zach questioned me on some things. He expressed his concerns. Today, N.P. & Zach have spoken a few times & Zach is confident in my relationship with N.P. & has no doubt that N.P. & I love one another & N.P. will take great care of me. I did not need Zach's approval but I'm thankful to have received it - it means a lot to me as I value his opinion & thoughts. Zach is young but mature beyond his years. His dad may argue otherwise (actually, there is no "may"; he would!) but really, he is. I've a ton of respect & admiration for Zach. He is the "give the shirt off his back" to anybody kind of guy regardless as to who it is, if he likes them or knows them. He's the rare guy not interested in dating around just for the sheer sake of doing so or obtaining whatever he can from a girl. He's the guy that believes that once you're a parent, your role & responsibility is to parent. Your life is no longer about YOUR wants & YOUR desires but you should become selfless putting your child before you. He's the guy that might be tired, have a million things to do & be super busy but if you are hurting & need a friend, he'll drop everything to be there to listen. He's the guy that might get irritated with me & say, "Heather, I hate you" or "Heather, I want to murder you" & 5 minutes later divulge the very depths of his heart with me. He's the guy that while he might feel bad that I hurt my leg, he'll laugh at me gimping around. He's the guy that has worked hard to protect me from stupid mistakes that would harm me. He's the guy that has come to sit in an Emergency Room with me to make sure I'm OK when for sure, he had things he much rather be doing. He's the guy that taught me how to tie a scarf (yeah, I know...weird). He's the guy that can't carry a tune but sure does have stage presence. He's the guy that I have had the joy of sitting next to nearly every day for the last 5 years. As many of you may know, you oftentimes spend more time with those you work with than your own family. Not that you want it to be so but that's just how it is...we work 8-10 hrs. a day, go home, see our families a few hours in the evening & repeat. Not only have I spent a large amount of time with Zach inside of work but together, we've spent tons of time outside of work whether it be eating out, him hanging out here at our house, taking students out together or whatever...we've been with each other often. Not only is he an important part of my life but my family's life - my parents, my sister, aunt, uncle & cousins love him. He is always willing to help out when needed. Goodbyes have never come easy for me. Seems that from a young age, I've experienced many of them. Throughout the years, I don't know that I could say they've become any less difficult for me even though they've been frequent occurrences in my life. There are some that I've had the pleasure of knowing & while it's sad to say farewell at the initial moment, life has a way of just moving on. We lose contact, stay out of touch. There are others that no matter what, I still think about them often. I miss them. I think of my sister Claudia in Germany. My brother Volter on the East Coast. All of my Nepali brothers that were here in 2010 (Prasoon, Narayan, Dilesh, Keshav, Pratik, Sujan, Arpit & Ishwor). Those were hard goodbyes & even still, my heart longs to see them all. They will always, no matter where they are, be significant to me. Zach is definitely one that, when the time comes, no amount of preparation will ready for me goodbye. I am so thankful that God put this young kid in my life & even more so for the friendship that has grown between us & the relationship that I'll get to see develop between he & N.P. as well. I am absolutely elated that Zach has agreed to be the Best Man in mine & N.P.'s wedding. I'm pleased that as N.P. knows no one here, the person that has had my back & been there for me more than any other friend over the last few years will stand beside N.P. & support of our marriage one to another. I'm excited for the day in the future when Zach comes to visit us in Nepal. Anxious to see the family he'll have one day knowing that he will make an excellent husband & father down the road. We often joke...Zach is an English major & neither he nor I like acronyms. As we joke, I like to tell him he's my BFF. Yes, annoying as that is (the BFF), it's true. He really is one of my best friends & forever will be. He likes to try to make me cry. Not sure why that is fun for him but it is. He thinks back to when I learned he was going to be deployed - I was getting teary-eyed months in advance. Now, he loves to torment me & say, "I can't imagine when you leave this time. You're already about to cry now." And, he's right. Knowing that I'm moving to where I know God wants me to be & that I get do so with the person I love with all of my heart that God has gifted me gives me great joy. However, that does not mean that there is a bit of sadness when I think about leaving behind those I love the most. For those (including Zach) I pray God's best. I pray that as we go through life meeting new people & saying our goodbyes, that we would all be reminded of that which I often hear God saying to me, "Heather, I will never leave you nor forsake you." No other can ever offer that. Yet, I'm thankful...I'm thankful for Zach. I pray that I've made some type of impact on his life & that his life has been made better because of having me in it. I know mine has been enriched greatly because of him. 