Long Hollow

Back then it was slumber parties…scary stories…dancing…eating junk food…wrapping houses…riding bikes…prank calls…boys…

Back then Rae was the life of the party…always on the move…full of ideas…as playful and mischievous as a puppy…

Fast forward forty-four years and things haven't changed very much, thank goodness!

We're still having slumber parties where we tell scary stories about menopause and loss. We're still dancing, eating junk food (but not as much!), and even occasionally wrapping houses.

The boys are still around…and Rae and I are still friends.

I admit…there was a long gap in there where we weren't a part of each other's lives, except for reunions every five years and occasional Deepwater/Deer Park girls dinners. But rather than drifting further and further apart, we grew closer and closer as time went on.

Now I hate to imagine not having her in my life.

Rae has seen enough dark times to recognize every blessing she receives, and she generously shares those blessings with everyone – even strangers if she sees there's a need. She keeps her eyes open for chances to help.

Rae has a way of bringing people together – people who have nothing in common except loving to be around her. She can be a ham, a clown, the center of attention…and yet make everyone around her feel special. She's comfortable in her own skin without ever being "full of herself" – in fact, she exudes so much confidence that it spreads to those around her.

Rae is classy and earthy – lipstick and tomboy. She embraces life, savors it, lives it passionately and adventurously, not taking one single second of it for granted…and she wants to make sure no one else does, either.

She is a vortex, pulling us into her whirlwind, taking us all along on the ride, not wanting any of us to miss a thing. Making us not want to miss a thing, either.

Yes, ten was a lot of fun, but fifty-four is even better, because of the friends I'm sharing it with…friends like Rae.

Happy, happy birthday, sweet Rae!

This is an updated re-post from a few years ago.

Rae is the kind of friend who always has a zillion things going on, who is always doing something for at least half a dozen people all the time. She has been there for me too often to count, checking on my parents, taking them food or just giving bringing them the sunshine of her smile. She sends me cards of encouragement and when she visits, always comes bearing gifts…even for my puppies!

And yet, I didn't even get a card in the mail in time for her birthday! 

Okay, there's really not even a card in the mail, yet, period, but I do hope to see her this weekend and help her continue her birthday celebration. There will be at least a card then!

In the meantime, my gifts to her are my words and assurances that I know I am blessed to call her friend, and that she can call on me anytime she needs me.

Happy birthday, Rae!

"Friendship is a promise made in the heart.
Silent.
Unwritten.
Unbreakable by distance.
Unchangeable by time."

~ unknown