When I was 15

When I was 15 we moved to the 'hook as Scotty R. calls it. I had the self-confidence of a gnat. And that's not surprising given my family of origin and the town I'd lived in for the first 13 years. Grades 8 & 9 were spent in another entirely forgetable town made up of people whose parents worked for the state government. My peers only wanted to know how much money my father made -- something I never gave much thought to before moving there. I only knew it wasnn't enough for 4 kids, a big house & his drinking. In that town girls were my friends unless boys were around and then they didn't even know my name. Now, that's true friendship! Just before grade 10 here we were in the 'hook. Only 2 kids in the family now, small house, and the drinking was better. But still mean girls. I sat behind a beautiful blonde who reminded me of Mary (as in Peter, Paul and...) who was really friendly and was dating the cutest guy in town -- bar none). She had a couple of friends who didn't want her hanging around the likes of me. One day I read a note from them to her (silly me, I thought it was for me). It said that if she wanted to be friends with them, then she couldn't be friends with me. Oh, those poor, stupid, silly girls.

I will forever be grateful that on that day I found that I had a lifelong friend. You have enriched my life, R., and I'm so thankful. I'm thankful that you were then and continue to not conform to whatever society says we're supposed to do, say, eat, drink, wear, think, etc. You are a unique person. You have no idea what you did for me 45 years ago. But I'll love you for it forever.

I was just thinking about that today when I sat down here so I thought I should say so. And I really stressed the importance of friendship to Brooke when she was really little, about being true to your friends, and being always honest. Maybe I would never have learned that if our last names had fallen in different places in the alphabet!

Off to see the siblings tomorrow. Oh joy!