This post is a short glimpse into a friend’s life. She was much than this. It’s my attempt to say goodbye to my friend who we lost this last week in a car accident. She will be greatly missed. — Janet
When you’re ten-years-old, life is simple. Everyone around you is an uncle, an aunt, a brother, a sister, a mother, a father, or a cousin. Other than a family member, you are a stranger until you become a friend or a neighbor.
I grew up in a small town. And that small town raised me. Collinsville had only a population of 3,009 by the time that I was ten, by the time that Sheila and I decided to figure out if we were just friends or if we were family now. It was about bonding. It was about how we mattered to each other. And it was important. Who wants to be just a neighbor when they can be a friend? Or a cousin? Only friends and cousins can do sleep-overs or know secrets.
We were at Sheila’s house. We attended school together since forever but something was different. My brother was dating her cousin. I’m not certain of the relations, but at the time we were solemn about this. We had to be cousins, she had decided. We must be cousins. We discussed it around and around and looked at it from both sides of the family tree. Surely we were cousins if my brother married her cousin. It made perfect sense to our 10-year-old minds.
Hours went by and running out of time, we decided that maybe it didn’t matter. That just maybe we’re all cousins or sisters because God was our father. From then on we were friends and family. I remember several times afterward calling out to each other, “Hello cousin.”
Thank you, Sheila, for being my friend and for being a friend to so many. You gave so much love while you were with us. You were the expressed image of friendship and family. Open arms and a warm heart. You are missing from us today.
janetkwest.com 
[…] For Sheila, My Cousin, My Friend […]
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[…] For Sheila, My Cousin, My Friend […]
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Thank you for sharing your story! Sheila was truly a beautiful friend inside and out! She will be missed by soo many people! She is gone but will never be forgotten
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Thanks for stopping by.
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You are quite welcome. I really don’t understand the insensitive comments that so many believe is the appropriate way to acknowledge loss – have they never lost anyone or do they actually believe that ALL feelings need to be positive and that there is no value to grief?
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Another Sunday – in which I try to make time to jump over here to check out your Sunday post and catch up on a few that I’ve missed. I’m never disappointed. LOVE your stuff!
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Grieving is hard work – especially trying to overcome the urge to smack the @#$%! out of the “she’s in a better place” insensitive comments. THEY may be beyond pain, but WE’RE not! Praying for peace for YOU.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
– ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
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Thank you. Thank for both the kind words and for the understanding. 🙂
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