Angels of Friendship

Amy, Susie and Dawn - 2/27/2004

Two of my best friends from college are Amy and Dawn. They are two of the first people I met when I moved into my dorm room on my first day of college at Ohio University. Amy was my roommate, and Dawn lived right next door. I was nervous about Amy because she informed me as we were unpacking that she did not like U2. We were listening to 'Joshua Tree' and I just about fell over thinking "this will not work". Fortunately, I've was able to convert her over the years.

Dawn shared the wooden wall with us :) This clearly means that we were more than just neighbors, we were 'practically' roommates! We heard each other coming and going, would some times knock on the wood for fun, and even listened to Dawn get her ass beat by her crazy roommate of the quarter. That's a whole other story, but the highlight is that Amy and I heard the fight through the wooden wall, and opened our dorm room door just fast enough for a just showered, naked Dawn running into our room after her crazy roommate jumped her. It was so not funny then, but of course, it's hilarious now....I digress.

These two have been in my life now for 11-years. That seems so crazy!

The purpose of this post is to share with you just how special they are. After losing Angela, they were great. They called frequently, sent cards, came to visit, they were the best. Talking to them was so nice. Sometimes, I didn't even talk to them or return their calls, and I knew that would be OK. They understood. They gave me my space. They emailed to let me know when I was ready, they were there.

The three of us lead busy lives full of work, loving marriages or significant others, and all the other good things life brings. We have a tendency to play phone tag so much, it's a running joke.

In November, Dave and I went to Las Vegas during the week we were due. When we returned, there was a card in the mail attached to a gift box. We opened the gift, and there was a beautiful figurine from Hallmark called 'Angel of Faith'. Their card was full of love and friendship, letting David and I know they were thinking of us during our difficult time. It brought tears to my eyes. I remember putting off my 'thank you' call because I was emotional. When I did call, it was our typical case of phone tag. I remember just leaving a normal message for Amy, wanting to wait until we spoke to say 'thank you'. I left a message for Dawn, and I don't remember what I said, but I started to cry and ended up leaving a weird abrupt message. I saw Dawn a few weeks later at her holiday party and thanked her, and then Amy and I continued our phone tag.

Ames called today, and during our conversation, I realized that we had not spoken since early November and that I had never said 'thank you' for the beautiful gift. This is very uncharacteristic of me, and fortunately, Amy was Amy and was not upset by my lack of grace.

I've attached a picture of the Angel for all to see. It is absolutely beautiful and brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

Amy and Dawn are my Angels of Friendship. I love them both so dearly and think of them all the time. We have the best type of friendship. One that is always there, whether we talk every day or once a month. We never skip a beat and we always have fun hearing what's going on with each other.

Now that I'm writing this, I think I owe Dawn a call.....Damn phone tag!!!