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Soul Mates
I've said, written and thought quite a lot about Teri and how very much I miss her, about the things we used to do together, things she would do for me and I for her, places we went.
There is someone very special to me whom I hope I don't take for granted, and I don't - she is even more precious to me now than ever before - but I don't believe I've even written about her here. We write each other all the time, and that would make a nice little book of stories!
Bren and I met in 9th grade when I moved to Iuka to live with Goobie. I lived in the country then and she in town. There was no going to each other's houses for quite some time. Goobie was a little protective, and rightly so, as a mother (grandmother) should be. We were too young to drive and neither of us had even a permit or access to a vehicle. Goobie didn't even have one nor could she drive. We didn't have a phone either to communicate after school. Things began to loosen up, we became fast friends, and after Mama moved to Iuka and I was living with her again, I could go to Bren's after school, and she would come home with me on the school bus. By that time we had a telephone and were on a 4-, 6-, 8-way party line - I don't remember how many people shared it, but it was so many that Bren and I made up our own language to confuse the eavesdroppers (or I should say those who picked up to see if they could get the line)!
We remained fast friends through high school, went to the community college together, sweated accounting practice sets, timed typing tests, and botany class, mostly writing each other notes in that class to compensate for our sweet little boring teacher. On the bus that transported students from our town to the college and home again, we burned up in spring and fall, froze in winter and played Rook to pass the time. One of our classmates we had graduated high school with drove that bus for at least the two years we went to Northeast. Sometime during that two years, Mother bought me a little green 1964 Corvair that had about as much bondo in it as original metal. If Bren and I "happened" to miss the bus, we would zoom off in that little car, proving her dad quite wrong when he said it wouldn't last 3 months. (It lasted about 3 years I think. Paul finally wore it out driving country roads in Arkansas - a summer job reading electric meters.) Then she and I were finished school - we had our Associates degrees in Secretarial Science and were bound to have any office clamoring for our supreme knowledge and skills!
I married first and moved to Arkansas. She married a few months later and she and her husband built a house in the country. She had a daughter, then a son; my daughter was born after hers. (We often say now that they were switched at birth. Mary Jane is sooo picky about things, everything has to be perfect. And Amy is her very own person and cares not what one thinks of her!) On our trips home to see my and my husband's families, I saw Bren often. We exchanged letters for several years, visited and kept in touch. Then the advent of email drastically changed our contact with each other! There isn't a day that goes by, unless one of us isn't in the office, that we aren't in touch by email. We've been on many roller coaster rides together through the years and still see each other as often as possible. However, our trips "back home" aren't as frequent as when Amy was small. Christmas is always special and we exchange gifts and try to have lunch at a special place called "Memories," which is an appropriate name. The tables have glass tops and under the glass are pictures of 50's and 60's era students, some of whom we recognize. (We should take ours there this year, Bren!)
Bren is a Christian, as I am, with a very strong faith in God. She has helped me so many times with questions, problems, heartaches, and we have shared our joys, dreams and hopes. We pray for each other. We lift each other up and hold each other's hands, even through the cyber network.
Bren and Teri met on several occasions - her daughter's bridal shower and wedding, one of our TB's trips back home. Bren said that between both of them, they might be able to keep me straight, but it sure took both of them - her there and Teri here.
I have been doubly blessed to have such good friends for so many years. Let's see, Teri and I - 36 years; Bren and I - 42. A total of 78 years of friendship and counting.That is such a blessing. God surely knit us together as soul-mates.
I've said, written and thought quite a lot about Teri and how very much I miss her, about the things we used to do together, things she would do for me and I for her, places we went.
There is someone very special to me whom I hope I don't take for granted, and I don't - she is even more precious to me now than ever before - but I don't believe I've even written about her here. We write each other all the time, and that would make a nice little book of stories!
Bren and I met in 9th grade when I moved to Iuka to live with Goobie. I lived in the country then and she in town. There was no going to each other's houses for quite some time. Goobie was a little protective, and rightly so, as a mother (grandmother) should be. We were too young to drive and neither of us had even a permit or access to a vehicle. Goobie didn't even have one nor could she drive. We didn't have a phone either to communicate after school. Things began to loosen up, we became fast friends, and after Mama moved to Iuka and I was living with her again, I could go to Bren's after school, and she would come home with me on the school bus. By that time we had a telephone and were on a 4-, 6-, 8-way party line - I don't remember how many people shared it, but it was so many that Bren and I made up our own language to confuse the eavesdroppers (or I should say those who picked up to see if they could get the line)!
We remained fast friends through high school, went to the community college together, sweated accounting practice sets, timed typing tests, and botany class, mostly writing each other notes in that class to compensate for our sweet little boring teacher. On the bus that transported students from our town to the college and home again, we burned up in spring and fall, froze in winter and played Rook to pass the time. One of our classmates we had graduated high school with drove that bus for at least the two years we went to Northeast. Sometime during that two years, Mother bought me a little green 1964 Corvair that had about as much bondo in it as original metal. If Bren and I "happened" to miss the bus, we would zoom off in that little car, proving her dad quite wrong when he said it wouldn't last 3 months. (It lasted about 3 years I think. Paul finally wore it out driving country roads in Arkansas - a summer job reading electric meters.) Then she and I were finished school - we had our Associates degrees in Secretarial Science and were bound to have any office clamoring for our supreme knowledge and skills!
I married first and moved to Arkansas. She married a few months later and she and her husband built a house in the country. She had a daughter, then a son; my daughter was born after hers. (We often say now that they were switched at birth. Mary Jane is sooo picky about things, everything has to be perfect. And Amy is her very own person and cares not what one thinks of her!) On our trips home to see my and my husband's families, I saw Bren often. We exchanged letters for several years, visited and kept in touch. Then the advent of email drastically changed our contact with each other! There isn't a day that goes by, unless one of us isn't in the office, that we aren't in touch by email. We've been on many roller coaster rides together through the years and still see each other as often as possible. However, our trips "back home" aren't as frequent as when Amy was small. Christmas is always special and we exchange gifts and try to have lunch at a special place called "Memories," which is an appropriate name. The tables have glass tops and under the glass are pictures of 50's and 60's era students, some of whom we recognize. (We should take ours there this year, Bren!)
Bren is a Christian, as I am, with a very strong faith in God. She has helped me so many times with questions, problems, heartaches, and we have shared our joys, dreams and hopes. We pray for each other. We lift each other up and hold each other's hands, even through the cyber network.
Bren and Teri met on several occasions - her daughter's bridal shower and wedding, one of our TB's trips back home. Bren said that between both of them, they might be able to keep me straight, but it sure took both of them - her there and Teri here.
I have been doubly blessed to have such good friends for so many years. Let's see, Teri and I - 36 years; Bren and I - 42. A total of 78 years of friendship and counting.That is such a blessing. God surely knit us together as soul-mates.
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