FRIENDSHIP:
My friend
Barbara was not perfect, but she was the perfect friend:
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| I chose my theme of "AUTUMN LEAVES ON MY JOURNEY" because when you become older and more mature, each leaf represents a memory, value, insight, miracle or a magical moment. |
We met while
our children were still very young. It
was one of those instant friendships. We were able to communicate very easily
on a variety of subjects, mostly about our children. Barbara’s husband while growing up came from
a ranching environment. After they were married, she became responsible to cook
for all the ranch hands at the age of 18. My husband was working for a military base and
was a mechanic, we were both stay at home moms. She was a great listener and
her passion was cooking, neither one of those was my great strengths… She was always ready to give you a
compliment, about how nice you looked or what pretty hair my girls had.etc. My love on the hand was horses and animals, and
gardening was my passion. She was a tall lanky woman and I was short, so we
were kinda like Mutt and Jeff. (Cartoon
characters). Opposites in every way accept our values. Because she loved cooking, I naturally loved
eating her delicious cooking. At times we would go out and eat some yummy food
she had discovered at a nice restaurant. Being such a good cook, it only seemed
natural for her to be drawn into cooking in a nice restaurant, immensely enjoying
her work. Beside my home, I was involved in my church,
involved as member of a horse riding club that competed in rodeos and State
competitions plus being involved in PTA with my children. Life
was good to both of us, had the world by the tail as they used to say. As time went on, our kids were growing up,
and life became a little more difficult.
She had moved to another town not too far away and so we mostly
communicated via telephone. Rarely
seeing each other except for times during the summer or holidays. She h
ad obtained a job cooking at a rest
facility for the elderly, loving the ladies and cooking special food for
them. Barbara was a hard worker and it
was obvious she had been given the gift for loving, taking care of her patients
with such care. What a great example she was to me. I had gotten divorced and needed to get a job
to provide for my kids, so for a short period of time our journeys were on
different trails. Out of the blue, one day she called me, asked me come over,
we picked up our friendship just like we had never gone through a period of drought,
sharing what had transpired for all
those years. My oldest daughter was getting married and Barbara wanted
the privilege to make her wedding cake.
It was a beautiful cake, almost too beautiful to eat. She also made my youngest daughter’s wedding
cake, which was just as beautiful. Upon reflecting about those cakes and why
she wanted to made them, it became clear to me that those cakes were made with the
same thought and love she gave to those she cared about, that was the reason
why they were so beautiful. She wanted them to be just perfect for the perfect occasion;
again she taught me by example the gift of serving others, her gift to others. How
grateful I am for her friendship and mentoring.
After all of
our children were married, and 22 years later, I retired from my job at the
military base. She had obtained a job caring for elderly women in their homes,
cooking, cleaning, and meeting their needs, with the same kind of love and
kindness as though they were family, using that same gift of love and
compassion. She was devoted to her job, making them feel special and giving them
the security of her devotion. I often
wondered how she managed to hold up emotionally when they passed on, as most of
them were of that stage in life. During this period of time, her husband of
many years passed, 2 years later, her oldest daughter died very suddenly
without warning. For the next few years,
all her family except a brother and sister were gone. Last week, her sister passed. I called her to
let her know of my sorrow for her grief, and she said to me, you are all I have
left and I feel so lonely that they have all left me, I need to talk. I assured
her that I would be there for her whenever and not to worry, we were friends
and felt that a good enough reason for me. I love my friend for her kindness and
compassion she shows to all that comes into her life. With a friend like Barbara
one would never have a feeling of loneliness; she is a ray of sunshine on a
cloudy day. Thank you Barbara for being
a blessing and example throughout our life journeys together. “A SINGLE ROSE
CAN BE A GARDEN…A SINGLE FRIEND, A WORLD.” “Leo Buscaglia”
After all of
our children were married, and 22 years later, I retired from my job at the
military base. She had obtained a job caring for elderly women in their homes,
cooking, cleaning, and meeting their needs, with the same kind of love and
kindness as though they were family, using that same gift of love and
compassion. She was devoted to her job, making them feel special and giving them
the security of her devotion. I often
wondered how she managed to hold up emotionally when they passed on, as most of
them were of that stage in life. During this period of time, her husband of
many years passed, 2 years later, her oldest daughter died very suddenly
without warning. For the next few years,
all her family except a brother and sister were gone. Last week, her sister passed. I called her to
let her know of my sorrow for her grief, and she said to me, you are all I have
left and I feel so lonely that they have all left me, I need to talk. I assured
her that I would be there for her whenever and not to worry, we were friends
and felt that a good enough reason for me. I love my friend for her kindness and
compassion she shows to all that comes into her life. With a friend like Barbara
one would never have a feeling of loneliness; she is a ray of sunshine on a
cloudy day. Thank you Barbara for being
a blessing and example throughout our life journeys together. “A SINGLE ROSE
CAN BE A GARDEN…A SINGLE FRIEND, A WORLD.” “Leo Buscaglia”