When I was 12 I met a girl named Annalisa. She was tall, skinny, with long blonde hair, and one of the most innocent girls I had ever met. I was coming out of a harsh context where I had learned to wear harsh eyeliner and a thick shell of emotional protection from the cruelty around me. I started at this new school and when I met Annalisa, I thought I was too much for her. Too mature, too cool, too "bad" for her. After a year in my new school, I began to realize that all that I was before was a facade. And I found refuge in my friendship with Annalisa. We found laughter and joy in our time together and discovered that we worked well together. We went into high school together and ran for class president and secretary. We ran that class. Man oh man, we had more parties, more BBQ's, and more fundraisers than any other class in the history of that school. We were on fire. We came up with the name "chubs" for each other. It came from the idea of "chubbing out" on some snacks. We each called the other "chubs" and although everyone else in our class was confused by the name, it made sense to us. The name stuck.
In the middle of sophomore year, things happened and I changed schools. Could we keep our friendship going when we didn't go to the same school, attend the same church, or even live in the same town? Well we did. Somehow we kept our friendship. Every year we would meet up once or twice (usually in the summer and Christmas breaks) and we would sit in some coffee shop for hours, and I mean hours, talking and giggling.
For the last 10 years we have kept our long distance friendship going and last weekend, I was honored to stand beside Chubs as she married a godly man. Annalisa and Dave were married last saturday in the church her parents and grandparents were married in. I flew out to California the week before the wedding and got to be a part of the preparations of the big day. Chubs has been so faithful to Dave through the years of singlehood and it was so touching to see them come together before all of us and and vow unto the Lord to serve and love another for the rest of their lives.
Chubs, you have been a faithful model of a godly woman. May your life as a wife continue in this great honor. May the Lord bless you and make His face shine upon you. May your marriage bring blessing to all around you guys and may the Lord bless your ministry together!
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