She Magazine JULY 2016 | Page 66

Friendship feature A ACCORDING TO AMANDA, HOLLAND JUST “GETS” HER, and she believes Holland knows her better than anyone. “We just know what each other likes. It’s almost as if she is in my brain sometimes! When we are together and around others, we don’t have to be right beside each other or even to hang out, but just knowing she is there is enough. We have an unbreakable friendship, and we are very secure in that… She is just easy to be around.” Holland adds, “Amanda is always wanting to have fun. She is always up for whatever I suggest, and she always knows how to have a good time!” Each has inspired the other in friendship, in work ethic, and at home. “Amanda is the definition of a true friend; I know that no matter what, she has my back. She is one of the strongest girls I know. She loves me and stands beside me, even when she may not always completely agree with me. She has a way of communicating with me to which I listen and respond. She is stronger than even she realizes. I look up to her, and what a great wife, mom, nurse, aunt, and friend she is.” In Holland’s eyes, Amanda is selfless, always placing the needs of her husband and children first. She also is an outstanding nurse. Holland adds, “I admire her confidence and willingness to do what she has to do for her patients.” Amanda admits, “Holland truly is one of the strongest people I know, and that pushes me to be a better person. She truly loves so deeply and has a huge heart. She doesn’t allow everyone to see that side, but she is the best friend a friend could ever have. She is the one that inspires me to be more outgoing and to stand up for myself more.” Holland’s go-getter personality, as well as her practice of standing up for her beliefs, inspire Amanda at work. “She has helped me in those ways so I can be that kind of advocate for my patients.” 68 JULY 2016 With Amanda’s help, Holland has learned how to be a better friend over the years. “I never truly knew what it meant to be a friend. Amanda taught me to trust and that it’s ok to lean on people when I need help, realizing that I don’t always have to be the strong one. Before her, I really felt like I didn’t need that best friend or that person, but now I know how great it is to have someone with whom to laugh and cry. Amanda has truly made me a better person. I look up to her more and more with time.” For Amanda, it can be difficult to put into words just how much Holland means to her. “Holland is so much more than just a friend... She has seen me at my worst and my best, she knows things about me that no one else knows, and she still loves me. We can disagree and call each other out when we are in the wrong, but I know that whatever life brings us, we will make it through. Our friendship is the greatest blessing. Not one thing truly outweighs the others...She is the blessing! We each have found another person, other than our husbands, with whom we want to grow old, and the thought of not having her in my life would be unbearable.” While life can get hectic as working moms, every moment is a memory when sharing it with your best friend. “Thank you, Holland, for making so many ordinary moments extraordinary, for always telling me the truth, for always knowing when something is wrong, and for sincerely loving me…Most of all, thank you for just being you!” “I love you, Amanda! You are my person, and you always will be!” Holland White resides in Florence, South Carolina, where she is a registered nurse for the McLeod Endoscopy Lab. She and her husband, Brent, have four children: Ansley, McCoy, and twins, Colton and Blake. Amanda White also resides in Florence, where she is a registered nurse for McLeod Home Health. She and her husband, Bradley, have two children: Payton and Page. SHEMAGAZINE.COM