This
page is for "My Michelle" who is my best friend. I have
a lot of friends,
have met many people in my life who have changed me in some way
or another
or had an important impact on my life. I have a few close
friends, but only one
Michelle.
I'm
not really sure when or why I started referring to her as
"My Michelle", I
just did. I guess I claimed her for myself.
Let
me tell you a little bit about My Michelle. We met while we were
both
stationed at Dover, AFB in Delaware, through a mutual friend.
When we met,
we just clicked together. We both had children the same ages, and
the same sex.
We both had the same wry sense of humor, which can be good or
bad--in our case
it was good. I could make a snide comment and she would
understand exactly
what I was saying, and see the humor in it, instead of only
picking out the
sarcasm, and I could do the same with her.
Drew
and I were having a rough time in our marriage, and My Michelle
spent
hours sitting on her back steps with me crying. She never said
anything bad about
Drew, even when I had a lot of bad to say. She just listened, and
sat there as long
as I needed to sit.
We
got a job together at a toy store at Christmas time, as much to
get out of the
house as for the extra benefits of 25% off toys for the holiday.
I wondered if
working together would hinder our relationship, but it didn't.
Rather, it enhanced
it. Since we were the "holiday help" we got stuck in
the aisles, which is not a
very fun job. Our duties included helping customers, and also
cleaning up after
them. If you've never worked in a toy store, let me fill you in
on some inside news,
some parents, use the toy store in the local mall as a
"babysitter" for their kids.
We would be working, ant these kids would show up. We would say
"Where are
your parents?" and they would say "I don't know, they
went shopping" Anyway,
Michelle and I would peek around the back end of the aisles and
make horrible
faces (most people are not happy people when they are Christmas
shopping), or
we would tell quick stories about what was going on down
"our" aisle. We had
so much fun, and we would drive to work together, to save gas and
time, plus to
have that extra 30 minutes to gab during the commute. All in all,
I think we
spent more time giggling and carrying on then we actually did
working.
Michelle's
husband got orders to Elmendorf, Alaska and they had to leave in
February, much to our dismay. Jason used to tell Michelle that
the only reason
he had gotten orders was because she had made a good friend. LOL.
That might
be true. Drew and I had never been anywhere else, so I wasn't
real familiar
with people coming and going as they do in military life. But I
figured that they
would move and I wouldn't hear from her much anymore. I didn't
know her as
well as I thought I did, I guess.
We
still talk about once a month on the phone, though that gets
expensive some-
times. We can't seem to talk enough in an hour. We write to one
another at least
once a week. We are still as close to one another as we were when
we saw each
other every day. Now we send (((HUGS))) instead of giving them.
My Michelle
would still sit on the porch with me for hours and let me cry if
I needed to... only
now the "porch" would be her computer.
We'll
be chatting on ICQ, and my husband will come in and see half of
the con-
versation and say "Are you two fighting again?" I'll
look at him, and scroll back
through the conversation and say "No, why?" He'll say
"It looks like you are."
I say "We don't fight, we just pick at each other"
Talking to Michelle raises my
spirits.. we don't fight, we banter. We use our sarcasm on each
other, and it makes
us laugh. That's not true, When I read what she writes, I crack
up, and I'll
giggle about it for the rest of the day.
I'm
not sure what I did to deserve such a wonderful friend, someone I
can count
on rain or shine, no matter how many miles separate us (and
between Alaska and
Japan, there are quite a few miles), no matter what time of day
or night. But
whatever I did, I am forever thankful to God for sharing My
Michelle with me.
This
is a poem that My Michelle sent to me in an e-mail and I'm
sending it back on this page
I'll Paint You a Rainbow
I'll paint you a rainbow as a gift
from me
then hang it from heaven for the whole world to see
On a canvas of love, I'll cover your fears,
with a soft brush, I'll dry your tears.
I'll paint you a rainbow with feelings so deep,
my stroke will be gentle, my touch you may keep.
On a palette of words I will tenderly blend,
colorful thoughts with bright verses to send
I'll paint you a rainbow in reds, blues, and gold,
stretched like loving arms, ready to enfold.
And deep in the center, of the most vibrant hue,
I'll etch from memory the essence of you.
I'll paint you a rainbow, a bridge to my heart,
so loneliness and pain can begin to depart.
Just look up at the sky when life hits a bend,
I painted a rainbow for YOU, my friend.
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