I have a decorative glass jar that sits in my kitchen. This jar holds corks from open wine bottles I have shared among friends. Each time we open a bottle, I drop another cork into the jar. When I moved to Chicago two years ago, I sent myself on a mission to find people who would be my close friends – my Chicago “group.” I always had a tight-knit group wherever I lived, and I wanted my new Chicago home to a provide a similar type of friend-family. Now, just a few short days before I venture away from my beloved city, I gaze onto my nearly full cork jar and realize I found it…I found myself a Chicago family.

It takes time to make close friends and find our niches in new environments. I usually make friends easily, but forming deep, lasting connections with people always seems a more challenging task. I believe this is the case for many of us. True friendship is one of those rare, but beautiful treasures in life. It took me longer than originally hoped to find my gems in Chicago, but they did surface. They appeared one day in the midst of an unwanted life thunderstorm. My rainclouds parted, and I found my pot of gold at the end of what became a beautiful rainbow.

I have many people to thank for making my Chicago life beautiful among the city’s unique daily stresses. We all have periods of getting lost in the skyscrapers, and our enthusiasm can drain easily with the anxiety of missed trains, carrying too many bags of groceries and fighting for a quick path on the sidewalks. We could hide in our boxy apartments for weeks at a time if no one knew to look out for us. I have experienced Chicago this way, so I made friends with museums, comedy shows and boutiques in hopes of making my face memorable in the crowds. These inanimate friends treated me well, but my gems…the ones who helped me fill my cork jar…are the ones who truly stole my heart.

We walk daily across a land that houses nearly three million people, yet many of us are just passing faces to others. I recognize the tall, middle-aged, blond woman who ironically found her way to the same bus as me several times each week for the past six months. I know nearly every phrase uttered by the homeless war veteran who sits daily on my office building’s corner. These faces stuck out amongst those I forget about daily, but the faces of my friends hang on my walls and in my heart.

It’s almost time to give a long hug and tearful “see you soon” to those people who made my time in Chicago both fulfilling and unforgettable. These friends put a spark in my dismal days, added extra sunshine to the already-bright ones and have spread a few extra layers of chocolate frosting to my cupcake of life. I am looking forward to my next journey, but my heart weighs heavy for those I will leave behind. These people aren’t just a bunch of anybodies…they are each somebody to me. They shine through the passing faces and into my soul. I love you all more than words can describe and, as I fumble through the corks in my nearly full jar, I remember the many laughs we shared together.

Thank you all for helping to fill my heart and fill this jar. Each cork represents a beautiful memory for me, and I look forward to sharing more of these memories with each of you again soon.