Friendships Sweeten with Age

Yes, her mother really did name her Venus. I can still hear her mom's voice saying "Venus Ann you better be home early." Venus and i met while trying out for cheerleader in 11th grade. She made it. I didn't. I was her friend from "uptown." She considered herself from the "other side of the tracks" as she lived outside of the Downey school district. I thought she was an amazing dancer. She could sing too. I thought she'd be a star someday (in addition to a planet). She taught me to dance "the Hustle." We took art class together and snuck off campus for lunch. We double dated to the senior prom. After high school I moved to Arizona and she stayed in California, and we stayed friends through all the distance and the years. She's one of the few people who still calls me "Suey."

I called her the other night to wish her a happy birthday. She turned the same age I did last year -- and the same age her mother was when she passed away. It was as if we were both 18 again. I told her I quit my job. She said "I did too!" LOVED that! We reminisced about friends, our antics and our ex's. We laughed for over an hour. I don't know what it is that makes two people click like that, or how it's possible to recapture that bond after months or years of not talking. But it's such a beautiful thing.

One of my most precious memories is going to the mall with Venus to buy my mom some clothes when my mom was ill. It was my mom's last Christmas. She got a big kick out of our efforts to dress her up. And Venus told me my mom was always special to her, because she treated her with respect "like she was as good as anyone else." Oh Venie, you're more than "as good as" -- you are incredibly special. A one-of-a-kind. Someone I always looked up to -- even though I am just a TAD taller than you.

Friends do become like sisters as years entwine our hearts. It's a sweet thing. Happy birthday Venie. And many more!

Remembering Mom

This lady rubbing noses with my dad would have been 90 years old today. I would have made a Boston Cream Pie and shared a glass of champagne with her if she were still here on the earth. But she is too far away to visit in person, so I will instead visit her in my heart and via cyberspace today. Genevieve Johnston grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and although she had a most gorgeous name, she preferred to be called "Betty." She played the piano, the harp and the violin. She attended Sarah Lawrence College before marrying my dad in 1941 and moving to Southern California. She bore four girls -- Priscilla, Marie, Carol and me (the caboose). She served at Downey Community Hospital where she became a member of the Board of Directors. Her name is on a plaque outside the hospital. I am proud of her service. Although she loved classical music, I remember her learning "Stairway to Heaven" on the piano for me. She bought me a guitar. She liked it when I sang "Pink Cadillac." She accepted my stepchildren as her own. Even when she was ill, she tried to dissuade me from visiting her because the 50 miles were "such a long drive." It's been 9 years since she passed away. And I still feel like she left me too soon. I guess you just never want to say good-bye to someone so wonderful. She loved with everything she had. "Mama said I love you with every meal she made, and every time she made me take my coat. When I moved away, she smiled through her tears, said she'd be fine here on her own. The brave look on her face told me what she didn't say. I love you more than you will ever know. That's why I wish you'd stay, and why I'll let you go. I will love you even when I'm gone. Take my love with you and pass it on." I will Mom.

Lyrics from "Pass it on"
Available at iTunes by "Special Blend"