This time of year has always been one of heavy reflection for me. I imagine it’s the same for you with the holidays and the new year on the horizon.I’ve been thinking a lot about unconditional love lately. Rather, unconditional love as it pertains to friendships and what a rare gift that is. It all started with this quote:

“That’s when I realized what a true friend was. Someone who would always love you – the imperfect you, the confused you, the wrong you – because that is what people are supposed to do.”

We’re taught that unconditional love generally comes from family and as a result, I’d never really given much thought to where it shows up in the other relationships in my life.

I have a handful of girlfriends who love me unconditionally and I thank my lucky stars each day they came into my life. They’re the type of people who will drop everything and make the nine-hour drive to spend new years eve with you after your world is flipped upside down. They’re the type of people who will pick you up from lunch to get you to the airport in time for your flight home when you’re fresh out of options. They’re the type of people who text and ask, “How are you doing?” And they aren’t looking for a sugar-coated response to the tune of, “I’m fine.” They want the nitty-gritty, and they want to know how they can help should everything not be right in your world. They are my sisters in every sense of the word and I am eternally grateful for everything they bring to my life day in and day out.In an effort to show the ladies in my life just how much they mean to me, I’ve set out to find the perfect gift for each of them in the coming months.

I partnered with Michael Hill Jewelers to gift one special friend a timeless piece of jewelry as a symbol of our friendship (don’t worry, I told her not to read this until I gave her the go ahead!) Michael Hill’s “story behind the shine” explains that the brand creates timeless pieces of jewelry that are centered around the emotional sentiments behind each purchase, which is one of the reasons why I love them so much! I I picked out the infinity bracelet for my best friend Meg because it represents the never-ending love that she gifted to me when we met in freshman speech class 17 years ago. Her friendship is so incredibly special to me. From break-ups to babies, to new cities and new opportunities, and everything in between. She’s always been there, seemingly circling back around to me just when I need her the most. I know the bracelet will stand the test of time, much like our friendship.If you live in the Chicago-land area, I challenge you to pop into one of the Michael Hill Jewelers six area locations and let the Michael Hill team help you find a piece of jewelry for someone on your list that helps tell the story of what they mean to you!

This post was sponsored my Michael Hill Jewelers. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make 26 and Not Counting the best it can be!