My closest and dearest friend in the whole world finally did what she set out to do. She graduated from Pharmacy school and is now officially Dr. Hannah R. Clutts. If you knew her closely, one thing you would immediately sense is her humble presence and how "Hannah Clutts" suits her just fine and you can leave the "Doctor" at the door. It has been a long time coming and there have been many ups and downs along the way, but now she is ready to set out and do what she has dreamed for so long.
In my entire life, I've never met anyone quite like her. I grew up going to a very small country school in a farm community. The kind where everybody knows everybody and the worst trouble anyone ever got into usually only happened in a field somewhere. It all started in the seventh grade in gym class; we made friends right away. She had moved from Mt. Juliet against her will and was in Pre-Alegra a year before the rest of us, which I thought was so impressive. However, it was really just the fact that she got to sit in class with the eighth grade boys and talk to them every day that really fascinated me. The one common ground we always had was laughing and we could most always find something hysterical to cackle about. I remember thinking she was so cool because she brought her gym clothes in a Gap bag to school and how she even got letters from high school boys on occasion.
Oh yes, when you're in the seventh grade, this is how your thought process works. And I realize that I shouldn't have picked a friend based on her choice of luggage, but that's how I did it. Through the years, we shared many of the common firsts: braces, homecoming, freshman year, sweet sixteen, boyfriends, proms, heartbreaks, driving, and many other things. Then came the one that would change Hannah's life forever, the first job.
In a small town like Cross Plains, your choices are limited to where you can work to earn a little extra cash. The choices include True's BBQ, the Piggly Wiggly, Robin's Nest Orchard (which was only a summer gig), or Thomas Drugs. I got barbeque and she got the pharmacy. I'm not sure why things happen the way they do, but I do know that this one small part of our teenage life changed Hannah's heart forever.
In order to do this story justice, it's important to paint the proper picture. Thomas Drugs is a historical drug store from the early 1900's that still operates as a full service pharmacy and even has a real 1930's soda fountain. It is in the heart of Cross Plains and takes you to that place where you feel like you know your grandparents better and gives you that good old fashioned at-home feeling.
It was here that Hannah discovered a lot about who she was and who she wanted to be. She worked in that drugstore every day after school, shared in the common small-town gossip that is impossible to resist, served the boys shakes and ice cream from the fountain after school, and even discovered her passion in life, pharmacy.
So, when graduation came, we all sort of went our separate ways. I attended college at MTSU and she went to Western Kentucky State University with hopes of one day being accepted into Pharmacy school. Although we weren't as centrally located as we once were, it never changed the type of friendship we had. We would maybe talk every couple of months or so, which would lead you to expect that things would change or be different. But, it didn't. We would always pick up right where we left off when the time came.
People talk about the great tragedies in life. And, how these things change your life forever. I can honestly say that my life would never have been what it is if I hadn't of met her. She is so much more than a best friend; she is really more like my sister. She has done everything that a sister can do and been there for every big and important event in my life. She was the maid of honor in our wedding and right there beside me the day that Owen was born. And make no mistake; it was always with a smile and a glad heart.
When I think about life, the first person that comes to mind is always Owen and the life he has ahead of him. My dreams for his life are simple. I want him to grow up to be a man of his word and be willing to take on a commitment. I want him to love his wife, be a good father who understands what it means to be loyal and committed, and live out his life always with kindness and compassion for others. But with this list, I hope one day he will grow and have a friendship like this. Because knowing what I know now, his life will never be the same for it. My advice for him will always be that if you want to have a good friend, then you have to be a good friend.
Hannah-
You have been the most loyal friend I have ever had and I thank you for everything you have ever done for me. Your commitment and courage and love in life inspires me to be a better person and pushes me to do things I never thought I would. I cannot begin to express how proud I am of you and everything that you have accomplished. All the choices and decisions good, bad, and hard have led you here and were worth it. You deserve every good thing that could ever happen to you and so much more. You are a true testament that dreams really do come true. I love you so much and am so very proud of you!
Your friend,
Codye
Dinner At Cheddars the Night Before
Owen & Mr. Trent "Pounding It"
Proud Momma & Papa
Hannah with Dan & Debbie Green
Owners of Thomas Drugs
