Let me ask you...
Have you ever had a friend who was always there, no matter what, through thick and thin? A friend that is always there, always around. If you need a hug, a helping hand, some words of advice, encouragement or wisdom, a shoulder to lean on or cry on, who you can talk to about anything, that is more than a friend, but a part of your family?
I am lucky because I can answer this. I have Brande Bradford, and for that I am blessed. She has been there when I have needed her, even when I didnt think I did need her, I did. She has done a lot for me over the years, sometimes saying "Thank You" just doesnt seem fulfilling enough to me and so this is a Christmas Dedication to say "Thank You" from me to her.
Brande and I ment 9 years ago online when we started working together, I lived in Michigan and her in Kansas. We hit it off rather quickly, talked on the phone daily about business, kids, our likes, dislikes and over time we grew closer and closer. We hadn't met in person as of yet, but there were several times she went above and beyond to help me. As with anyone things get tough sometimes, just like today, alot of people are feeling the same tough times, but then, I was up in the middle of the night, worried and not knowing what to do, when my phone rings. It was brande calling to see if I was okay and we talked for awhile which of course made me feel grateful that I have a friend like her. There are more of those times over the years than I could ever count.
I could not wait to meet her in person and we talked about it a lot, that some day we would. It had been two years, since we met and we were best friends, when it finally happened. I will never forget that day. I introduced her to her husband Chris who lives in Georgia and my husband David had been transferred down to the Georgia office for his company. That was a crazy time, we rented a house that we had not seen yet, as we trusted this guy, we drive 14 hours after loading a Uhaul truck, get to this house to see that its porch is about 25 feet off the ground, now with 3 little babies, I don't think so. I ended up calling Brande who helped me find a storage unit around the area, so we could store our things until we found a house. What a mess, but Brande again was there for me and helped with whatever she could.
I got to meet Chris a few weeks before when we moved down to Georgia. It was actually the next day and we had not slept in over 30 hours, so we definitely was not at our best! Brande came down a few weeks later to see Chris and of course we made plans to meet. I remember sitting on a bench outside at the restaurant (there was a wait) waiting for Chris and Brande to arrive. I was nervous and excited all at once, thinking what should I say, what should I do then I realized, I will be who I always am and say what I normally say to her. When they pulled up, walking across the parking lot she was smiling and so was I. Honestly though my first thought when I did see her walking through the parking lot with Chris, ( I don't think I have ever told her this) I wanted to hug her and thank her in person for everything she has done and for being who she is. It was a very happy time though and I don't know how many times I had to take a second to stop myself from getting teary eyed.
Brande finally moved down to Georgia as well and after that, we would get our families together for dinner on the weekends, meet for lunch, sometimes dinner. But even then, I knew that her doors were always open for me if I ever needed and there were times that I did. Her doors are still open, it's just a lot longer of a drive now! There isn't a day that doesn't go by that I wish I was there still.
I lived on the North side of Atlanta and she lived on the south side of Atlanta, and anyone who knows Atlanta, Georgia, knows that traffic can be herendous driving from one end to the other. There was a time my husband fell and his ankle was very swollen, I took him in and then my blood pressure dropped so low that I passed out. My kids were in school and of course they would not let me leave the hospital until it came back up and my husband could not drive. I called her and she drove up too pick up the boys for me.
She has always been there for me in so many ways and has helped me in so many ways over the years, including financially at times. Over the past few months she has really been here, I have had some personal matters recently that I can honestly say have been hard for me and as always she has shined, stepping above and beyond to do whatever she could to help. So there are a few things I would like to say.
Brande,
Whenever I have been sad or scared,
You were there helping to keep my heart repaired,
Whenever I have been excited or happy,
You were there right along side me,
Always showing just how much you cared.
Over time you have been my guiding light,
always helping to keep things right,
Over time you have been my shining star,
always helping to heal every scar,
A special treasure in my life
So to you I just want to say,
That I am grateful every single day,
To have someone as special as you
Who is my best friend and my sister too,
Thank you for all the love and car you always display.
Brande is very good at what she does and has taught me a lot about marketing over the years. She is a wonderful real estate agent that really cares for her clients and now with her spreading her wings and coaching others to help them achieve success, I know she will help them soar as she has helped me soar over the years. Brande I know you will be a great success being a coach, because you care about others achievements and success before your own!
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Marey Hoeppner "Success never happens in a straight line. There is always going to be twists and turns, ups and downs. Just remember that conquering those will make you successful!" Twitter with me! http://twitter.com/virtualexpert |
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