Best Friends Forever

BFF. Best Friends Forever for the older crowd who haven't quite mastered the lingo of the younger less talkative, less imaginative, and oh yes, less literate than most of us old folk. But I digress, forgive me please! 

What makes a BFF, well in most cases it is the person sitting next to you in jail while you wait for someone to bail your butt out of jail, nudging you saying, "That was a blast, we need to do it again, but let's not get caught the next time!" or the one holding your hand as chemo drips into your body to kill the cancer that is eating you alive; or last but not least, it is the person that has been there through thick and thin no matter what, no matter where, no matter when. 

That is the way it was with my mom, and her best friend Terri. Mom and Terri were born on the very same day, hours apart. They were closer than sisters, each of them had sisters, both of them had two each. They learned about life together, walked to school together, married Marine's, Terri's husband Jules & my father Ralph were best friends (best friends marrying best friends how could it get any better?). Both Terri and my mom weathered their husbands fighting in WWII, not knowing (yes I said NOT knowing) whether they were alive or dead on any given day. 

Terri stayed in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio and raised a family; while my mom and dad moved to his hometown of Syracuse, New York to settle down and raise a family. They never failed to get together during the summer when my mom & dad would travel to Ohio so my mom could visit her family. Never once did a birthday go by that they didn't call one another (back then a long distance phone call was a huge thing). As the years went by, Jules passed away, then my father, but the girls (as they called themselves) never wavered in their friendship or love for one another.

Last month, Terri met again with the love of her life Jules, and saw her best friend Jane. You see the best friends are together again, talking, sipping coffee, laughing, exchanging photos, while sitting at God's kitchen table. You see best friends never end, ever. They go on into heaven.

Rest well, mom & Terri, you are a credit to your families, whom learned that friendship is a bond stronger than blood, that lasts forever.  

50+ and Loving It!

Yes, I just stated my age! No I am not shamed to say it out loud. Yes, I belong to AARP (though I am not fond of their political agenda). Yes I use my discount when I can. I am happy, healthy, and loving my life. I have found many secrets to being happy at 50+.

Eating well: Yes, I know it costs two to three times more to buy fresh food than to buy the packages. We have become a country of "easy". I do have a couple bags of frozen veggies in my freezer, a couple jars of spaghetti sauce in my pantry, however I make mac & cheese, chicken noodle soup, stir fry, vegetable soup and many other things from scratch. Find a high fiber bread that you like, white bread is a killer (yes pb&j is always better on white). Today so much emphasis is put on low carb, high protein, no carb, etc. We as Americans have got to start eating well. That means five to seven servings of veggies and fruits a day, cut down on fried food, the prepared meals in a bag/box/carton. Bring your lunch to work, not only will you save time & energy you will have time to read a chapter, do the crossword, or maybe even find "me time" in your work day. Drink water, cut down on caffeine, cut down on soda and energy drinks (most are full of sugar and caffeine). Find easy recipes that you can do in a crock pot that are nutritious, and flavorful. I found that using sea salt has benefits, don't have to use much to get the flavor. 

Exercise/Play:  Most of us know that we have to stay in motion to keep going. Does this mean bulking up or hitting the gym 7 days a week? No it means taking time to go for a walk, stretching after work (10 minutes of gentle stretching relieves the stress of the day). Even dancing to some music as you clean up the kitchen after supper can be considered exercise. While I am NOT fond of game consoles in homes with young children (our children do not play outside like we did when we were kids), playing a game or two tennis, bowling, golf, or one of the dance games on a Wii, Play Station, or XBox can be challenging and fun, it also makes us stand up and move around. Find an activity you enjoy and do it, dance, walk, ride a bike, hike, wander a state park, it will keep you moving. 

Love: There are many types of love...Love of family, children, God, country, recipes, etc. However finding the "right" person to be with is most important. I was not seeking when love found me. It found me through a website, I answered a question he had posted on his profile. We began to talk, the more we talked, the more I liked. He said to me one night, "I am falling in love with you". It took me by surprise, and to be honest it shocked me a bit. Someone 'loved" me? WOW! It was a new concept, it took some getting use to, but it is the very best thing that has happened to me other than my children. He is kind, considerate, gentle, loving, opens my car door, he holds my hand, he whispers in my ear at the grocery store, and makes me giggle. And yes, I love him, deeply. 

Laughter:  "... I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner..." was said by Audrey Hepburn. She was right. I will be honest it took a good man to show me that laughter can cure anything. As I stated the love of my life makes me giggle, sometimes the giggles just turn to laughter. He counts the times a day he makes me smile, giggle, and laugh, what was a few times when we first met, has turned into at least 50 or more times a day. Laughter makes us young. 

Make Memories: Technology has made it simpler to take pictures, print & share them. I received a photo album for Christmas, every time my love and I do something fun (we toured St. Louis, out to supper at Schmidt's, walk in the park) we take pictures, print them, and put them in our photo album. Memories are meant to be shared so write a journal (notebook will do fine) of the times you want others to remember. It is especially important for us to do this with our parents & grandparents, their stories will live on as a testament of their lives. Take time to listen to what they are saying, write down the recipes, take pictures, and make memories. 

Last but not least, this quote says it all:

"Work like you don't need the money.

Love like you've never been hurt. 

Dance like nobody's watching."

-- Satchel Paige

Good Things...

Today as I did some kitchen chores (i.e: put dishes away, scrub down stove, sink, counter tops,etc.) I noticed the sun catcher that is in my window. Yes, I know many people have sun catchers I have three on my kitchen window, two are angels and one is a bear holding a flower with a caption that reads, "a friend is someone who likes you" this sun catcher has seen better days, however it has never not been on my window. When I received it I put it on the window above my desk where it remained until the day I married and moved to NC where it was placed over my sink, the same as in my other homes.

The girls who gave me this were my friends in high school. They were the girls I talked to on a daily basis, the ones I shared confidences with, the ones who let me be myself, and liked me just the way I was. One of the girls and I recently have been in touch with one another. We still have not gotten together for lunch, though we have a firm date set for July. She was the strongest woman I knew in high school, and to this day, one of the strongest women I know. In her friendship in high school she taught me to rejoice in the smallest victories, smile when you want to cry, let others lean when they need to, have faith that God will show you the right path, pray daily (even the simplest prayers reach God's ears), slow & steady wins races, and that even when you think there is no hope, there is. 

So I choose to always to find the good in things even when it seems there is none, I smile at strangers, I allow others to lean on me even when I am the one who needs to lean then I remember two post leaned together will hold each other up, pray daily God will show me His way, pray daily for others in need, that even on my slowest days I am still winning. So sway your hips to the music you hear, walk in the rain, smell the flowers, hold someone's hand, smile it may make another's day, most of all look for the positive things in life.