Grandma Barb's Blog: My Bestest Buddy

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

~Albert Schweitzer

In so many ways, my life has been blessed by wonderful people. It seems that at every crossroad, I have encountered someone to help me. My life, like everyone's, has had a some ups and downs. I come from people who do not share their grief well, so reaching out for help has always been difficult. I have been incredibly fortunate to have a life-long friend who excels at reaching out, at knowing exactly when I need help. And she has always been there for me. Today is her birthday, and I want to celebrate her and our friendship on her special day.

Patty and I met our sophomore year in high school. We had both moved that year-- she started the school year as a new kid, I moved and started half way through the year. I tend to be shy, so reaching out to make new friends was a little hard on me. She was there with her engaging smile and friendship-- I think we bonded pretty quickly. It helped that she and I belonged to the same church and were active in the youth group there, and that our parents became friends. Her dad and my dad became great buddies, working on church projects together. Indeed, my father bought our lake cottage from Patty's dad, who built a new place next door. From that point on, the two men were fishing buddies.

Patty and I were in each other's weddings, we threw showers for each other, we celebrated the births of our children together. We each had two boys-- 4 little boys in the space of about 4 years. You would think we were identical twins... but we are not. Often we joke that we are the other's alter ego-- we are completely different in personality and outlook. We disagree on politics, religion, clothing styles, life styles, you name it. Patty is outgoing, sometimes a little flamboyant. I am reserved and perhaps a little dull. She is politically conservative, I am a "bleeding heart liberal". She is a morning person, I am definitely not. She hates most of the foods I love, and I don't enjoy foods she does. Well, except for chocolate...

But here's the thing-- time after time, when my life has seemed like it was too painful, she was there to lift my spirits, offer advice, and show me the way. She is the one who convinced me to try online dating (and that's how I met my husband!), she is the one who dragged me into the water to snorkel (and I discovered I could do it, loved it, felt like I could do anything after that...) and who has encouraged me to stretch my abilities knitting. My life has been vastly enriched because she was there to help me stretch, learn and grow.