When we lived in San Diego, I met a woman at work who soon became, not only my daughter’s God-Mother, but one of my all-time best friends. It’s funny, because when I first saw her I thought, “huh…who does she think she is?” LOL I was completely judging a book by it’s cover - shame, shame on me. But, thank God, I did not act on my initial feelings. In fact, I ignored them, got to know her, and the rest is history. She is one of those rare people we come across in our lives - and we all have someone like that - a special person who, when we meet, we feel an instant and profound connection to. A connection of the spirit and soul. A person we quickly feel very comfortable with - the one we can let down our guard with. I have several of those in my life and I am very grateful for them. So, as Casey Kasem would say, “Susan C. in San Diego - this is for you:”
When it comes to issues with kids, I think of you.
I say, “Hmmm, what would Susan do?”
And the voice in my head that responds is You.
I can hear you laugh and say “he he he been there done that,” which really pisses me off because that’s NOT what I want to hear - and then I laugh.
I know exactly what advice you would give because I know you so well
And whether I like it or not, I know, the truth you will tell
You’re not just a friend, you’re a sister to me
Yet the time we’ve been apart has passed by very quickly
I know it has been a very long time
Since those days we would see each other all of the time
But I still keep you close and think of you frequently
And I wonder, when the hell is she going to come visit me?
Susan, I just want you to know I love you and miss you and I know that someday, either I’ll go to San Diego, or you'll come to Brownsville - DAMMIT!
I wrote this because what I said is true. When my kids give me problems and I have to come up with creative ways to handle a situation, I always think of my Susan. As a single mother, she raised 2 boys and 1 girl and she did a hell of a job with them. She now has three beautiful and awesome grown-ups with kids of their own and I love them all so much. But anyway, the reason I decided to write this is because a couple of stories she told me came to mind and they are so funny I thought I would share them. Below is a very abridged version of her stories (because I can’t remember the details at this time).
Story # 1
When Susan’s daughter was a teenager, Susan caught her lying about something (probably something having to do with a boy). It was a serious lie but I can’t remember what about. Anyway, Susan was so mad she decided to have her daughter start chopping onions. And Su had one of those big bags… Anyway, after a few onions, her daughter was crying (from the onions of course) and asked if that was enough. Susan said, “Nope, I need the whole bag chopped. And if I catch you lying to me again…”
I thought that was genius, and funny at the same time. So I filed it away for future reference.
Story # 2
One day, her son’s school called to see why one of her son’s had not been in school. Uh oh…busted! Of course she talked to this son of hers once he got home. But the next day she decided to go to the school. And she walked right in to his classroom. The teacher looked at her and said, “May I help you?” Susan replied, “No, I’m just here to make sure HE is here, and if there is ever a day HE is not here, I want you to call me [pointing directly to her son - in front of the whole class]. LOL Needless to say, he never ditched school again.
Once more, I filed that away for future reference.
Because of moving around the country so much, I didn’t have the luxury of having my female family members around to help me with my children. I’ve been wingin’ it the whole time, which is why I am so grateful for wonderful friends like Susan (and my Jackman homegirls - but that’s another blog).
Sometimes friends are more than just friends. They are spiritual beings we have been connected to in past lifetimes and to whom we are connected throughout eternity.
Friends are gifts from our Creator to help us through life. And I, for one, am very grateful for these gifts.
Dear God, thank you for putting Susan C. in my life.
Amen.
