my best friend is heaven sent

Background: I am the oldest grandkid on my mom's side, and was the only grandkid for the first part of my life. It goes without saying I was loved, I was adored, by my aunts, my uncles (they even got me a card for the first time I peed on the potty...true story, it's in my scrapbook), but especially by my grandma. I was super close to my grandma all growing up. I looked up to her, I loved her, I wanted to spend all my time with her. She adored me, but I also adored her.

Then, in 2007, a week before Christmas, my grandma was in an awful car accident. She had been hit head on by a drunk driver and killed almost instantly. That experience was sudden and tragic and one I hate remembering. Someone I had loved SO much was taken. And I took that hard. 

Shortly after the accident, I was given a priesthood blessing in an attempt to find some kind of comfort. I knew of the truthfulness of the plan of salvation, but sometimes in the very dark and raw moments, that was not enough and did not bring sufficient solace. I had heard the man giving me the blessing talk before in casual conversation that he did not believe in guardian angels, that he believed angels were not primarily concerned with helping those still on this earth, but busied with teaching those on the other side. However, in the blessing that he gave me that night, I was promised that my grandma would be my guardian angel, that she would always be watching over me. I knew for a fact that this was not something coming from the one giving the blessing, but from God, that not only would He be watching over me, but so would she.

Fast forward a year and a half. I had just started my freshman year at ASU. All of my friends had chosen to go to school elsewhere, and I was left all alone. I knew no one my first couple of weeks in college. I was still struggling with losing my grandma, and taking that along with everything else in put me at what was probably my lowest low. I cried more in that first little bit than I think I had in the first 15 years of my life. I was so alone, so...down. I didn't know how to cope, but I knew I needed someone. I would pray all day every day, "Heavenly Father, I just need a friend. I just need a friend." 

One day, I was walking around institute, trying to find a place to sit. I turned a corner and saw Celeste, a girl I had gone to high school with. Celeste and I had several classes together in high school. We sat next to each other and edited one another's papers, but we weren't really friends outside of class. That day, she invited me to sit down and eat lunch with the group of girls she was already sitting with, and I did. I started meeting up with Celeste every day after that and pretty soon, we were inseparable. Eventually we became roommates, and literally spent just about every second together. We went on a dozen trips, we worked right across the street from each other, we took the exact same classes throughout our times at ASU...It was rare to see us apart. And we liked it that way!

Then I got married. And eight months later, Celeste got married.

On the day of her wedding, I was sitting next to my mom in the sealing room of the temple as we waiting. My mom asked if I knew who the woman sitting across from us was. I told her it was Celeste's grandma. That wasn't enough for my mom; she knew her from somewhere and she needed to know her name, like now. A couple hours later, at the luncheon, my mom went up to Celeste's grandma, wanting to figure out where she knew her from. Celeste's grandma told her that her name was Arvana, and my mom connected the dots instantly. She turned around to face me a few tables over and motioned for me to come to her. She did the same to Celeste. We got to where she was and my mom said to me, to us, "Celeste, this is your grandma? (turning to me), This is Arvana. She was Grandma's best friend for years and years and years, up until the accident." 

Immediately, I started crying, shaking. I grabbed Celeste and we hugged for a very....long time. All I could think was my grandma, my promised guardian angel, had watched over me when I was in my darkest hour, had seen that I needed a best friend, and thought that her best friend's granddaughter would be the perfect fit. 

Those few moments, where all the dots were connected, all the pieces came together, are ones I will never forget. Those few moments made me love Celeste even more than I already did, and put an even higher value on our friendship. I had always know that Celeste was an answer to my prayers, but I hadn't the slightest idea of the miracle, the angelic work, that had taken place behind the scenes.

So there you have it. My grandma and my best friend's grandma were best friends. And now, without any prior knowledge of their special friendship, their granddaughters are best friends. 

Coincidence? I wouldn't agree to that label if I was offered a million dollars. The Lord watches over us, He hears our prayers and our pleas. But He isn't the only one. We are not alone, and we are not forgotten. There are others, others whom we are important to, that are keeping watch.

This is Celeste and I, on my wedding day and hers. 

  

I know for a fact...This girl, my best friend, is heaven sent.