My Best Friend's Wedding

This is not about Julia Robert's movie ('though I must admit that's one of my all-time favorites.) This is about my best friend's journey in finding her true love.

In the many years that we've been friends, I have witnessed how many times she had fallen in love. And be broken-hearted. Through it all, I was with her - shared with her joy and listened to her amorous stories during the happy times. Even when the bad times came, I was there to comfort her, to pray with her, to fight for her and even to cry with her.

I guess her last was the most painful relationship she'd been through. Because she loved with all her heart. She thought the guy also felt the same way about her. They started as friends and eventually ended up having a relationship, or so she thought.

She gave almost everything to that guy - time, company, material things, and most of all, love. But just when she thought he was the one for her, the guy denied her. He claimed that what they had was "just friendship", nothing special. Can you imagine how painful it was for her? I knew. Because I was there all along. And it was hard for me to understand how could that guy do that to her? Considering that he was also a dear friend of ours?

But everybody must move on. Forgiveness must be given, although forgetting and healing may take time. The guy finally found the woman of his dreams and got married. We may have differences and problems in the past, but I can honestly say I am happy for him now.

And my best friend? She went away, took a job from a foreign land, far from home, friends and loved ones. Distance slowly healed her broken heart. I wasn't surprise when she told me one night thru chat that she was seeing her officemate (this guy used to court her, I didn't know what happened, he just stopped). Even 'though at first I did not like him, I let my friend be happy, having in mind that she is old enough, that she has learned a lot from her past experiences. And when she said yes to him, I was happy, yet mindful, like all of the others, of the short time they had spent knowing each other.

This year, she's getting married. She once asked me if I'm happy for her. Of course, I am - even if I don't know the guy personally. Even if I wonder if they really love each other given the short period of their courtship. Even if I feel things happened so fast. I trust her judgement, because she is my friend.

And my prayer is this - for her fiancé to honor and love her for the rest of their lives and for her to hold on to her faith, be happy (because she deserves it) and love the man she is going to marry and know that whatever happens, I am always here, a friend until the end.