Discovering what Someone Really Thinks

Over the summer I went to the wedding of my very dear friend Austin.  Austin had been in nursing school with my sister, and she talked him into coming to take care of me when they graduated.  We very quickly became friends, rather than merely nurse and patient.  In true Austin fashion, he showed up for his first day of work with an accessible hiking book and asked me if I liked hiking.  Every year since we have made a point of having some sort of outdoor adventure, and even continued the tradition, as much as possible, after he left the area to go to nurse anesthetist school.  Our bond is strong, built on friendship, caring, adventures, ongoing banter, and a love of science and nature—nerds of a feather must flock together!  Needless to say, I love Austin immensely and know that he loves and cares for me a great deal as well.

You learn something incredible when you see how people have talked about you to their family and loved ones.

The guest list for Austin's wedding was not overly long, being largely dominated by the couple's families, neither of which live in the area.  Given this, my parents, sister Helga, and I were quite honored to have been invited.  We happened to be among some of the earliest arrivals and started mingling with other guests.  Austin's cousin already knew who we were when we attempted to introduce ourselves.  It became very obvious that when returning home to visit with family, Austin spoke often and highly of his time taking care of me.  As we continued to meet more family, it turned out I was so famous amongst his family members that my dad decided to just start introducing himself as "Loa's dad," which earned him immediate recognition.

Having met Austin's mother and oldest sister previously, I was very excited to meet his father and brothers.  The warmth in their eyes when meeting me, and their obvious sincerity when they said it was an honor to meet me, was incredibly humbling.  I was repeatedly told how important I am to Austin, what an honor it was to meet me, how much it meant to them and Austin that we were at the wedding, and how my family and I are Austin's family away from home.  I found my biggest fan in Austin's older brother, Otie, who was incredibly excited to be at his brother's wedding and said his weekend was made even better by meeting me.  Truly, the love I felt went beyond a nice ego boost, to feeling honored by the high esteem I am held in by Austin, who happens to be one of the most genuine, kind, generous, and fun-loving people I have had the privilege of knowing.

Celebrating the nuptials with my new friend Otie.

As I said at the beginning of my blog, I have always known that there is a strong affection between Austin and me, but you learn something incredible when you see how people have talked about you to their family and loved ones.  Given Austin lives far from home, and his time at home with his family is undoubtably precious, I feel as though him having spoken about me often enough to have made as powerful of an impression on his family as he obviously did, is indicative of just how deep and strong Austin's regard for me is.  Despite the fact that many people said it was an honor to meet me, I feel that the honor was entirely mine.  Not only did I get to celebrate a very special occasion with somebody near and dear to my heart, I got to see the depth of our bond through others' eyes and it was one of the most heartwarming experiences I have had.  I am so thankful to have been a part of such a special event and feel beyond privileged to be loved so well by someone as special as Austin.  This just goes to show that friends can be family, and familial bonds are some of the most precious we have in this world. 

Thank you to Austin's family for embracing me and my family, and to Austin for being such a wonderful bright spot in the world and bringing us all together!