Back then it was slumber parties...scary stories...dancing...eating junk food...wrapping houses...riding bikes...prank calls...boys...
Back then Rae was the life of the party...always on the move...full of ideas...as playful and mischievous as a puppy...
Fast forward forty years and things haven't changed very much, thank goodness!
We're still having slumber parties where we tell scary stories about menopause and loss. We're still dancing, eating junk food (but not as much!), and even occasionally wrapping houses. The boys are still around...and Rae and I are still friends.
I admit...there was a long gap in there where we weren't a part of each other's lives, except for reunions every five years and occasional Deepwater/Deer Park girls dinners. But rather than drifting further and further apart, we grew closer and closer as time went on. Now I hate to imagine not having her in my life.
Rae has seen enough dark times to recognize every blessing she receives, and she generously shares those blessings with everyone - even strangers if she sees there's a need. She keeps her eyes open for chances to help.
Rae has a way of bringing people together - people who have nothing in common except loving to be around her. She can be a ham, a clown, the center of attention...and yet make everyone around her feel special. She's comfortable in her own skin without ever being "full of herself" - in fact, she exudes so much confidence that it spreads to those around her.
Rae is classy and earthy - lipstick and tomboy. She embraces life, savors it, lives it passionately and adventurously, not taking one single second of it for granted...and she wants to make sure no one else does, either. She is a vortex, pulling us into her whirlwind, taking us all along on the ride, not wanting any of us to miss a thing. Making us not want to miss a thing, either.
Yes, ten was a lot of fun, but fifty is even better, because of the friends I'm sharing it with...friends like Rae, who finally turned fifty today.
Happy, happy birthday, sweet Rae!
Rae, at ten, with my beagles...
Rae, at (almost) fifty, with Ann and me at her birthday party ...and loving the "Happy Birthday" serenade by The Grateful Geezers...
