I just got off the phone with one of my dearest friends ever! Ronda, whom I have known for over 30 years, who lives about 3000 miles away. We don't speak as much as we'd like, but when we do, the miles and time melt away! We laugh about our silly private jokes and our passionate love for bands like Van Halen and Journey and LoverBoy and all the other experiences that only we own. I always feel like I'm on the top of the Empire State Building after I get off the phone with her or see any of my other dear and loving friends! And that feeling just got bigger because I found out her sister Dianna has moved back to SC after all these years - we started as secretaries together MCG, and to simply state we had some interesting and fun times is an understatement - the Trauma Times, the Goat Roasts, the high heels, the drug rep lunches, the cute interns and residents, oh there are so many wonderful memories, which can't be told here! We also sort of grew up together because these were our first "real"jobs - working in the Trauma office at MCG! We eventually became inspired to continue our education because of the people we were exposed to daily. I became a teacher, and she became a doctor. I'm so proud of her . . . and I CANNOT wait to reconnect with her now that she is back in SC! Let the games begin!! Ronda and Dianna - I love you both!
Since my mom has passed away, my mindset about life has changed so much. I know that my mother and father are gone, both sets of grandparents are gone, and my two brothers whom I love dearly are not as much a part of my life as I would like them to be (but I'm working it and so are they). I am incredibly blessed to have a wonderful husband and two beautiful and loving daughters and the cutest little blue-eyed, blond-headed two-year-old in the world as my grandson, but I need more than that sometimes to just be me, no demands.
Friends. What are friends? To me, they are presents you give yourself. Better than anything money could ever buy. The richness and complexity and pure love that exists in a true friendship is infinitely priceless. My friends have become an even more integral part of my life and they keep me afloat. There are so many that I can't name them all, but I'm going to try to mention a few long-time ones. Please don't be upset if don't mention your name because if you are reading this, you know I care about you and you care about me and that's what constitutes a friendship. People placed in your live to kick it up a notch!
I already mentioned Ronda, and I'm so excited to see her in October when her daughter Brittany gets married. It's going to be an event that will go down in the book of "I Will Remember Always."
Then there are my Hallpass friends - Carolyn, Mary, Chris, Cindy, Susan, Debbie, and Sammy. Carolyn and I used to be friends in 11th grade. We loved the Eagles and Bob Seeger and overalls and cute guys! She loved my Yankee accent (LOL) and I always envied her big and beautiful hair (which she still has!!). I am so thankful that Carolyn and I have found each other again after all these years. That, my friend, is the true cornerstone of a friendship . . . one that endures time and space and everyday life! Mary, what can I say about Mary, except that I love her! She is one crazy gal who always, always puts a smile on my face and she does the funkiest dances you can imagine! She is my good-time hanger-outer, and I am sad that she is moving away. She has been there for me in a way I can never even begin to describe since my mom passed away, but I am trying very hard to push away my sadness because I want Mary to be happy. She deserves it. Nuff said about that - you know how I feel, Mary!! Chris and Cindy - lucky to know both of them and thrilled that they are finally getting married!! Who'd of thunk it?? Seriously, you will never meet two more kind-hearted and genuine people, and did I mention big-time Gamecock fans?? I don't get to see Susan much, but I love her tenacity and her spunk! She is a woman after my own heart! Heck she manages rental properties. . . she is one tough chick and so honest. I love her! Sammy and Debbie - a fun couple that I have had the pleasure to come to know. They are a beautiful couple who really love each other and their presence at any function makes me happy!
Sherry and Teesha - where do I even begin? They are like the sisters I've never had (they are mother and daughter). I have known them for about 20 years. They are two of the most down-to-earth people you will ever meet in your life. And both have the gift of gab, which is a good thing because those of you who know me, know I <3 to talk!! I could talk until the 12th of never!! They also did something for me that I will always be grateful for and places them both in a special corner of my heart. When my my passed away, they did her makeup, hair, and dressed her for me. They loved her just as much as I did, and she loved them, and that was their final gift to her. For as long as I live, I will be thankful that God placed them in my life.
There are so many more people who have come in and out of my life but have shaped me into the person I am today, so thank you for your influence on me. I am a better person for having known you. I wish I could mention everyone's name, but maybe one day I will write a book about the lasting impact that friends have had on my life. I have never met a stranger so my list of friends is quite lengthy! There are my Levittown childhood friends - Donna D., Louann C., Lori C., Janine S., Eva L., Donna B., Kathy K., Lori S., Fran P., Ginny H., Ellen M., Mary H., Debbie B., and I know I have left some out, but I love you all. There is nothing more unique and enduring than sharing a childhood and teenage years together . . . wow!
There are my school friends - the people whom I have worked with in the past and the ones I work with today. They carried me through a very difficult year this year and were my rocks . . . I could not have made it without them. My NAMS family - I love you all!
So, please know that if you are reading this, I consider you to be my friend. You have left a little part of yourself with me, and I am a patchwork quilt of all my friends . . . a priceless and colorful and vivacious and comforting array of personalities have woven themselves into my life forever. You know who you are and I love you, too.
So as the Golden Girls theme says, "Thank you for being a friend." <3
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