A TRIBUTE TO SANDIE, MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND

Sandie and I were close friends for most of our childhood. We marched in the band, attended school events, and had many classes together for twelve years. We enjoyed staying at each other's houses on the weekends when we were young. I remember many evenings talking for hours into the early morning about classmates, teachers, and our dreams for the future. Giggles about all things took up most of our time.
Shortly after Sandie and I obtained our driver's licenses, Sandie asked if we could spend some time together on a Saturday. She lived about a mile from me and offered to pick me up at my house. We were laughing at something ridiculous when the car suddenly left the pavement. Sandie wasn't experienced enough at driving to recover, so we ended up in a deep ditch alongside Phillips Park, only a few blocks from her house. No one was hurt, but the car was severely damaged and was subsequently towed. I don't remember riding in an automobile with her after that incident, but it wasn't because of the wreck or Sandie's driving!
We drifted apart during the last couple of high school years while I was busy rebelling against my oppressive home life and staying anxious about leaving the confines of our small town as soon as possible. Sandie took the higher road and enjoyed her family and friends without drama. She was one of the bright kids in school. Both of us eventually obtained advanced degrees, with Sandie spending her career teaching math in public school. I greatly admire her chosen profession.
We reconnected a few years ago after becoming "friends" on Facebook. Sandie filled in the blanks of the many years since our last time together. We both have had our good and bad times, as in all our lives. Sandie quickly told me how happy her husband and daughters made her. I'm positive her pupils adored her intelligence, love of teaching, and compassion for her students. Sandie relished her retirement, especially once she moved from Amarillo to a suburb of Dallas, to be close to her daughters and grandchildren. Her family gave her endless joy.
A few years ago, I asked Sandie if she would attend our 50th class reunion. I planned to drive 500 miles to Borger for the festivities with another former classmate and wanted to see her, but she could not go due to an ongoing issue with her feet. It was disappointing that we didn't get to reconnect in person. It would have been our last chance to be together.
My heart broke as I learned about the vicious tumor invading Sandie's brain this past year. She kept us updated while possessing a positive attitude during even the most difficult times. Her daughters took over Sandie's posts when she could no longer communicate. Her journey ended last night surrounded by her family's enduring love and physical presence. Love is all that matters, and Sandie has given much love in her life.
It's all coming back to her now.
Rest In Peace, my dear friend.
"Every meaningful relationship we have in our lives exists in the ever-shrinking time before we say goodbye to them. We should love and move and speak with the urgency benefitting this truth." John Pavlovitz



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DR MCELROY AND TEXAS A&M

Image
  I’ve lived my life with integrity, compassion, and honesty.  I don’t back down from a controversial subject and will always speak out against injustice and prejudice.  I received many benefits from being White, although I was still short-shafted regarding equal pay as a woman.   Case in point: I was replaced by two men when I retired from overseeing a 36-bed rehabilitation hospital and 6 outpatient clinics serving children through adults. The man who replaced me had great difficulty managing the inpatient rehabilitation services. Hence, the Healthcare System overseeing the services promoted a male physical therapist to manage the outpatient facilities.  Each of the men was paid more than I.  It’s probably not a stretch to guess that had I been a person of color with the same credentials, I would not have been hired, and doubly so if I had been a woman of color with the same credentials.   A tenured UT journalism professor was recently recruited to Texas A&M to kick-start their jo
Read more

MY LIFE WITH TERI FLANAGAN

Image
  (Teri authored a story about me entitled "My Life with Dana Rushing" in the local newspaper after I moved from Horseshoe Bay to Austin. It was a total surprise and touched me beyond words. She is now in hospice at a facility in Marble Falls. Teri's husband has given me permission to publish this story. It will be in The Beacon this week.) I’m incredibly fortunate to have a friend I could call to assist me with the various projects I began or coordinated while living in Horseshoe Bay for five years. Other friends also answered my call to action, but Teri was always the first one I contacted because I was confident she would agree to help. Teri once said when she saw my name on her caller ID, she knew I wasn’t calling to chat and that she was being recruited for another project. Still, Teri answered my call. Teri is a talented artist and an avid reader. Her beautiful painting of a colorful donkey hangs in my home. A burnt orange wooden walking stick David made helps k
Read more

ROSA PARKS AND THE DREAM

Image
I dreamed of Rosa Parks last night.  She was sitting in a seat in the middle of a bus with Black men sitting on both sides of her.  I figured they were bodyguards and had joined her after news got out that this 'uppity Black woman' had dared to take her place amongst the Whites. The days of sitting in the back of the bus were over for her.  She worked long, hard days at low wages for a white family and had to take a bus every...damn...day.  Her great-grandparents had been slaves.  Enough was enough.   She felt she earned something more than a seat at the back of the bus.   She didn't know that this small act would set up a firestorm of millions of people being emboldened by her.  More and more people began speaking out, demonstrating, and even rioting to bring civil rights to the forefront.  The battle continued until, at last, civil rights passed.  Racism became somewhat more subtle over 50 years. But the Rosa Parks I saw in my dreams is still in that seat.
Read more