cheryl

You know that feeling where you laugh so hard you are crying. I just had a phone call that had me like that for a good half hour. My friends- though sometimes aggrevating are literally the best. My friend Cheryl is one in a million. We have gone through so much together and she is just so true to herself. She is also true to our friendship. As i have said before I don't know if she liked John or not as it is a conversation that we have never really had but I do know that she has supported me in more ways than I can count since he died.

We met before college. She lived in NH as did I and they had a welcome reception for NH students where we met. Worlds being small and all we lived about 20 minutes away from each other and had mutual friends. September came around and she lived 2 doors down the hall from me. All through college we lived in the same hallway except for one year. Some of my fondest memories from college involve cheryl and some of the most meaningful conversations involve her as well.

After college we remained close. We both had roomates that we were all a big bunch of friends and got together often. She soon met her now husband and moved closer to her job and him in RI. She never met John. Not many of my friends did. But I do remember one very long conversation with her about us after we got engaged. Cheryl couldn't believe I was "compromising" what I always wanted in a wedding to marry John. She and others of my friends always gave me a hard time because I always said I wanted a winter wedding with rose muffs for my girls. When the time came I realized that I really didn't want that anymore and I didn't care when or how we got married as long as we did. We only talked about it that one time. At John's wake a few months later Cheryl came and whispered in my ear that all of the compromises would have been worth it.

Since then she got engaged and I was in her wedding this summer. At her wedding I was a bridesmaid but she also asked me to read the petitions or prayers of the faithful. She had given me the printout for practice and I had read through them. At the ceremony I was very nervous about my speaking part. It was a very large wedding and speaking in public was not my thing. I got up to the lectern and looked at the printout was a smiley face and a "we love you for doing this" and then I started reading. I got midway through the prayers when I got to the death one. You know. " For those that we wish could be with us but are with us in spirit, especially for...." Well on the sheet I had been given I didn't know any of the names, but on the printout at the wedding there was one more name added to the list. it said, "John G. who is always loved" I wasn't able to read that part out loud but was so touched that I could barely speak.

Tonight we were laughing about when we get old and in our 80s and what we will be like. We were cracking up. One of those deep laughs that you can feel all the way to the bones. I love Cheryl like a sister, she is always going to mean so much to me. And tonight I thank her for making a rough day just a little easier

picture is of this beautiful woman on her wedding day with me and our frend j.