Love, Hate, Jealousy, Pizza

I have known Jessica since the first day of kindergarten. We haven't been friends all that time— there have been some rocky periods of jealousy and anger on both sides— but my memories are good. She's still remembered in our house for coming over for a pizza dinner when we were very small and asking, as she looked at her plate, "can we dig in now?". We tried to write a mystery story together in grade school— either first or third, both times I was in room six— but we quit because we couldn't agree on how to spell "mystery". She was right. In junior high, we would sit on the concrete after school and read to each other the mysteries we were writing in our notebooks. Jessica remembers the early days of Kat and Peter, and remains my most honest critic. ("Alice, that poem sucks.")

The last time I saw her was fall 2003, when we went out for Pizza. I was terrified about going away to college, and Jessica showed me her dorm room at USF and gave me (very good) advice. Every time we've tried to see each other since, we have been sick or busy, but I do try to keep up with her online.

Jessica's going through a really hard time right now. Her grandfather is dying, and they are taking him off of the ventilator today. She can't go to Nebraska to be with him, because of school work.. Pray for her today, if you pray.
Jess— I love you (etc.).