My mind is wandering today... to warmer climates... luckily for me, I leave on Thursday for a girls trip to Palm Springs. We will play tennis, watch the pros and solve some of life's problems. Grateful for my girlfriends...
I've been thinking a lot about relationships this week. This girl's trip usually involves my friend, Kula. She won't be going with us this time as she's in the middle of her chemotherapy treatments. Damn, I will miss her.
Erin and I did get some Kula time this week - we played hooky Thursday afternoon and went to the Mall of America for some spring clothes shopping. Kula was excited to get out of the house and Erin was excited to have her 2nd mom along. Shopping with two moms is even better than one, if you know what I mean... American Express thinks so, too...
We had some good laughs, some of which were at my expense. See, in case you didn't know, I like to be in control. That means, I drive, I choose where we park. Well, Kula requested (some might say demanded) that we park in her usual spot. Since she's got cancer, I couldn't refuse... Erin and Kula loved laughing at my lack of flexibility.
Yes, we laugh about playing the "cancer card". It's a perk that's not worth the trade-off, but you might as well play it if you have it.
These relationships in our lives that make us laugh and smile and not be embarrassed about our shortcomings are what makes life worth living. I watch Erin now widening her social circles, and hope that she's learned that love and kindness are what matters. She must be a good friend, because she has lots of them. She's not into drama, and that puts her in the minority when it comes to teenage girls. I think she's learned the hard way what's of real importance and what's not worth your time...
I had an encounter with a woman this week whose daughter was a friend of Shannon's. This woman took the time to remember Shannon and the kindness she showed. She remembered how inclusive Shannon was when her daughter was new to the group. So nice to hear nice things about your children. That doesn't change, even if they are no longer of this earth...
So, I find myself feeling lucky today. Lucky to have good friends, lucky that my daughters also see(saw) the importance of kindness to others. In the end, that's all that matters. Here's my all-time favorite quote. It makes me think of Shannon every time I hear it:
"I've learned that people will forget what you've said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
