This weekend.

Oh, this weekend.

I can’t even begin to talk about it without my voice quivering. And, as I sit here to type this up, I’m just so grateful I’m not in a public place. Because I’ve got tears streaming down my face as I reflect back on the weekend.

That’s not the kind of response you would imagine getting when you ask the question, “Hey, how was the bachelorette weekend?”

When I visualize a bachelorette party, I think of penis-shaped straws, little black dresses, lots of heavy drinking, and gobs of sticky, hair-sprayed hair and smeared make-up at the end of the night.

I don’t imagine deep, thoughtful conversations. I don’t necessarily picture a weekend filled with yoga pants and sweatshirts. And I certainly don’t imagine this level of emotional connection with each and every person in attendance.

But that is exactly what ended up happening this weekend.

I don’t know if I could pinpoint the exact reason it was such an emotional, therapeutic experience for all of us. Was it because we were in the perfect home? The House of Suffrage? Was it because we pulled out the goddess cards on Friday night and, in a delirium, opened up about all the things that we were struggling with so deeply? Or was it that every single person was so different yet so open to being vulnerable and transparent with a group of total strangers?

I don’t know what it is.

But, we walked into that home on Thursday as complete strangers and we came out of it on Sunday with such a deep, intense connection.

Prior to this weekend, I felt slightly worried that things weren’t going to work out the way they were supposed to. We’ve all been planning from afar and, with so many girls, it’s hard to know how to make everyone happy. So, I just tried to keep Hema at the forefront of my mind.

What would Hema like? What can we do to ensure that SHE walks away from this weekend feeling loved and supported? So, we planned the best we could keeping her in mind the entire time we created our itinerary. But, still, I arrived Thursday afternoon – unsure of how things were going to pan out. You see, it’s not that Hema is high maintenance and difficult to please. If this weekend was any indication of her personality, it’s obvious that she’s the exact opposite.

But what do you give a person who deserves the world?

How do you hand her an itinerary of events without feeling worried that it’s not ENOUGH? I wished she could see the behind-the-scenes that went into this event. Because when you hand someone a piece of paper with the names of a few restaurants and wineries, it doesn’t tell you what the conversations were like when planning. It doesn’t show you the amount of love that was poured into this event. It doesn’t explain just how much people were willing to throw themselves completely and entirely into the planning and everything leading up to it. All because they loved every ounce of her itty-bitty frame with every piece of their heart.

I’m not tooting my own horn. In fact, I only contributed to a small fraction of the planning. But, I wish Hema could see the words that come pouring out of people’s hearts when we all sit down to talk about her when she isn’t around.

It is so obvious that she has made such a lasting impact on the lives of so many.

And I think it’s probably why we left feeling a little lighter, a little more loved, a little more enlightened this weekend.

I always joked that Hema could literally talk to a wall. For someone so small, she’s got a booming personality and can connect with anyone (or anything) and everyone. When she moved to LA and into my apartment with me, I remember feeling so much pride each and every time I introduced her to a new friend or co-worker. I was so excited to watch them interact with each other and, in my mind, I thought, “Man, I’m lucky. She’s MINE. Not only do I KNOW this amazing human, but she’s my SISTER.” And so I kept showing her off. Like she was my little puppy dog that I was so proud to own. Because she was so cute and cuddly, but also so fun and engaging.

But, ever since she went off to business school, we’ve sort of lived these separate lives. Obviously, when it comes to our family, “separate” doesn’t take on its traditional meaning. Rather, we just lived separately. Far away from one another. So, though I was filled in on the big events and even the little ones from time to time, it was hard to really grasp the new things (and the new people) that came into her life. She would throw around names, send us an occasional picture or two, but you don’t really come to know a person’s life until you get to live it a little with them.

And that is exactly what happened this weekend.

Her lives came together. In one big house.

And, when you are 100% genuine and true to who you are in every whatsoever way, all the people in your life – whether you met them in college, in high school, in graduate school, or as you were crossing the street one day – they come together seamlessly.

Though, on the surface, all of us ladies didn’t have THAT much in common, when we dug a little deeper, at the root of it all was this desire to be around people like Hema.

People with a magnetic personality. People that, when you’re around them, inspire you and challenge you to be the best version of yourself. We all had Hema in common.

So, naturally, when the one thing you have in common happens to be the best thing in the world, you’re bound to have amazing conversations and feel completely and utterly MOVED after the weekend.

I feel like my entire outlook and mindset on my life has shifted significantly this weekend.

To the ladies who changed me, I love you. Let’s keep #bajajlorette-ing on Whatsapp all year long. And let’s have a reunion next year – whether it be in the House of Suffrage or elsewhere. Doesn’t matter. As long as we’re all together.

And to Hema, our darling bachelorette and bride-to-be, thank you for being the uniting force. You have, once again, been responsible for a huge transformation in my life. Thank you for being the exact person and the exact love I need when I need it the most. A sister’s love is such a special kind of love and I am the luckiest to have a sister in you.