righteous friendship

Tonight we had a CES Fireside where Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the 70 spoke on righteous friendship. The choir preceded his talk by singing one of my favorite hymns, "Each Life That Touches Ours For Good." I loved Elder Rasband's thoughts on friendship, and was reminded of a talk by Kathleen H. Hughes, where she said, "The Lord has touched my spirit time and again, and more often than not, His touch has reached me through the hand of a friend."
I feel that the past few months have been especially difficult for me as I approach the end of my undergraduate career at USC and prepare for new adventures and opportunities. Through my trials this past year I have been reminded how blessed I am to have such amazing friends, both here in L.A. and back in Austin.

Speaking of his own friends, Elder Rasband said, "... no matter how long I was away, no matter how great the distance, whenever my friends and I met again, it was as if nothing had changed. We picked up our lives where we left off and it was as if time had stood still." I definitely feel this way about these girls. I still remember turning twelve and entering the young women organization in my church, and completely idolizing these three girls who were three or four years older than me. They became my best friends and some of my greatest mentors. I will always be grateful for their examples in my own life.

I am also extremely grateful for the friends I have made here at USC. So many have been there for me through the ups and downs of college life, but tonight I am especially grateful for my roommate, Jennifer. We met the first semester of our freshman year in a Jewish Studies class on the Holocaust. This past year, especially, she has been there to pillow talk at night, stress out with me, cry with me, and laugh with me. She pushes me to be a better person and I love her.