As I was browsing my Facebook page recently I saw these words, “Everyone has a story worth telling.” It struck me that I enjoy writing about people I have known or admired more than any other topic. I often find myself thinking about ordinary folks who are actually quite extraordinary and I do my best work when I choose to tell their stories. 

When I first began my journey through college I had a scholarship that paid for my tuition and books but I was a commuter student who had no transportation to the university. Initially I paid a person to get me there each morning. I gave her enough to purchase gasoline each week which was a fair price, but I had limited funds so I did the math and realized that I would never be able to buy anything more than that ride with what I had saved from working during the summer. That meant that I could not even afford a drink or lunch or any other such luxury or I would run out of money before the end of the school year. 

I casually mentioned my dilemma to a couple of my friends, Linda and Nancy, who were also attending the school and soon enough both of them had graciously offered to get me to school and back home at no cost. It was one of the most generous gifts that I have ever received. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I would not reach a point of being unable to get to the campus and now and again I was even able to purchase a snack or even a burger to stave off hunger until I got back home. I was admittedly silly in that I had been embarrassed by my situation but these two insisted that it would be their pleasure to help me. 

Linda and Nancy have both been lifelong friends who accept me just the way I am even though we do not always see the world eye to eye. They are incredibly wonderful people who have accompanied me on my long journey of life. Linda and I raised our children together and I don’t know how she felt about my daughters but I sometimes dreamed of them marrying her sons. That did not work out because our children were so close that they felt more like siblings than romantic partners.

I don’t think I would have made it through my twenties, thirties and forties without Linda. She has always been wise and kind and I learned much from her. She was also a wonderful sounding board with whom I was able to share my innermost dreams, doubts, and failures. I never felt as though I had to hide my true self from her like I sometimes did with others. Ours has been a wonderful friendship that has been as close to being sisters as two women might be without being actually being related to each other. 

Nancy and I played cards with a group of ladies long after I was married. She worked for a time in Houston but eventually moved to Atlanta, Georgia. A long period of time passed during which we had little or no contact. Then she decided to return to Houston and we began talking for hours on the phone as though we had always been together. We can laugh and carry on for so long that our cell phones die while we are still conversing. The love we have between the two of us is incredible and ours is a very accepting relationship. She can be herself and so can I. Nothing comes between us even when I get a bit silly. 

Having two lifelong friends like Linda and Nancy is priceless and I always know that no matter how long it has been since we have been together we always pick up right where we left off. I am fortunate enough to understand that I can be challenging at times because my personality is such that I all too often play devil’s advocate as I attempt to navigate through the difficulties of life. Luckily for me neither of these amazing women get insulted when I start asking them questions or disagreeing with their opinions. There does not seem to be anything that will ever tear us apart and I give most of the credit for that to them because sometimes I don’t let up on voicing how I feel. 

In today’s world so many relationships have fallen apart over petty disagreements. I read about families that have been rent in two and childhood friendships that have gone awry. I’ve only experienced that kind of thing once and the hurt from it still stings even as I love the person who no longer wants my friendship. I suppose I know myself well enough to understand how difficult I can sometimes be when I take hold of a particular way of thinking. With Linda and Nancy my foibles don’t seem to matter and I celebrate that fact every single day. 

I knew Linda in elementary school and admired her from afar. I thought that she was the most beautiful and loving person I had ever encountered. When we became friends I was deeply honored. Nancy and I met in high school and we clicked from the first. I can laugh and cry and totally enjoy every chance meeting that I have with these two wonderful women. They are a gift to me that I will never take for granted. Their amazing stories would fill a book. Perhaps I may take the time to write it all down one day. Till then I just want them to know how important they are to me and how much I will always love them.