I have very few friends that are my same age - not sure exactly why. I have friends quite a bit older than me and friends that are younger. Sally is a friend that is older than me. She is old enough to be my mother and she became like a mother to me in many ways.
I met Sally when we lived in the Adirondacks for 6 years. We moved up to the mountains in 1996 when we bought a beautiful old Victorian house intending to open it as a bed and breakfast. We had tried to have children, but without success, and so we set out to follow another one of our dreams. We only lived there for about a year before I got pregnant. So we had a big old house in need of repair and a baby on the way. We had started to attend a small church right across the street from our home. The people in the mountains keep to themselves most of the time, so it was hard making friends. Scott is much more outgoing than I am and could make acquaintances with people so much easier than I could. He had actually met Sally and talked to her quite a bit, but I didn't even know her yet. One day Scott was doing some work in the house and he had the front door open. There was dust coming out the door and he had started a pile of garbage on the front porch. A truck pulled into our driveway and out came on older couple - it was Sally & her husband Frank. They told us that they were driving by and it looked like we could use some help. They proceeded to pile the garbage in their truck to take it to the dump and then they stayed and helped us with the work. It was such a pleasant surprise and they were such kind and friendly people that we immediately became friends.
Sally and Frank became our closest friends while we lived in New York. They pretty much adopted us into their family and treated us like their own children. When Cathryn was born they watched our dog. After Jarrod was born there was a knock on the door one day and when we answered it in came Sally with a group of ladies from the church and they gave me a surprise baby shower. When I was pregnant with Sarah she had a baby shower for me at one of the local restaurants. She watched the kids when I needed her to. She gave me advice on being a mother and a wife. She listened to my life's stories and she shared hers with me. She would make sure that we always celebrated our birthdays with them. She helped me plan Scott's 30th surprise birthday party. I remember one birthday when Sally showed up with a flat of pansies and a cake on my birthday. It was such a simple thing, but it made me cry because it made me feel so special.
I love Sally because she has a heart of pure gold. She would do anything for me and she was like that with so many people in her life. She doesn't think she is that special - which makes her even better :) I honestly don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful friend like Sally. I don't know how I would have survived those early mothering years without her. I was so sad to leave her when we moved back to Pennsylvania and I still miss being able to share life with her. I miss sitting in her living room and talking and laughing (she has an awesome dry sense of humor that puts me in stitches.) When we moved back I called Sally constantly. I wanted to share everything with her. Each time we moved to a new place Sally made a point to come visit and see our new home. Sally & Frank are getting older and so it is harder for them to travel much anymore because of some physical conditions. We go up and see them usually once a year and every time we do it feels like home to me. I don't talk to Sally as often anymore, but she is always in my heart and thoughts. When we do talk it is warm and comfortable and I can tell her anything. As I am writing this blog I have a tissue close at hand. Sally is such a precious friend to me and today I am so grateful for my friend, Sally.
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