Maribeth Was Here

You probably know by now that my dear friend, Maribeth, & her husband, "Big Al," moved from Bainbridge to Kansas City last year. They had lived here for nearly 10 years, and their children grew up and went to school here; the youngest graduated from high school right before the move.

Since both of her kids are going to college in this state, MB has been back to visit several times during the year. This is the one thing that has made her move bearable, from my point of view, and I know I'm not alone in feeling this way.

It would be hard to overstate how much I love

this woman. She is hilarious, fun, serious, irreverent, courageous, full of spice, stylish, strong, talented, creative, faithful, honest, loyal, loves children & animals...I could go on and on about the things I have learned about her character in the decade or so that I've known her.

Katie loved her tremendously, and MB was one of the few people who knew exactly how to be with us throughout EVERYTHING that we experienced on the cancer journey. We were already close, but that experience took us to a place where few will go together. Maybe it's because she is a cancer survivor herself, so she doesn't dramatize, pity or act weirdly about any of it. Maybe it's because she is so incredibly honest that she cannot tolerate (or generate) bullsh*t. Perhaps it's just her character, but whatever it is, she was fabulous company on the journey through hell and beyond. It changed our friendship forever, and I can't tell you how happy & profoundly grateful I am to be her friend.

Maribeth arrived on Tuesday night, late. When she comes to town, she stays in Katie's room, which Katie would LOVE; we all love it. She and Katie had a very happy, snappy and loving rapport, and I know Katie would be thrilled to share her room with MB.

We get up in the morning and have coffee, stay up late in our p.j.s talking, and hang out with my guys. It's a treat, and a kind of vacation when she visits.

The funniest part is walking through town together. We were doing a couple of errands yesterday, and it seemed as if every few feet that we walked, we encountered someone who felt they had witnessed a sort of miracle when they saw her. The hugs! The exclamations! The joy! It makes me smile hugely, every time, to witness the delight that people feel when they see her; I feel the same way.

Because she is an multifaceted person, she has friends all over the community, who know her from her varied activities of (among other things) knitting, working out, church groups, school volunteering, and theatre (visible here in two of many productions). It's lovely to see how much she is loved (and missed) in our community. She gave so generously of her time and talents here that she left a huge void when she moved. (The next time she comes, I'm thinking of making a float and pulling it behind my car through town. I'd love to see her do her parade wave, cheerleader kicks, and really WORK it! Okay, I'm kidding)

Of course, we had to go to the beach...one of our favorite pastimes. We both collect beach glass, and keep it in HUGE glass jars in our homes...except that hers is packed away, at the moment.

So we went to one of our favorite beaches, where I've taken my kids over the years for walks and picnics, and we walked and talked and laughed and picked up glass. The big news is that she found her first-ever Indian bead (like the ones I mentioned in a previous post)!

Now she's off to visit her kids for a few days, and then we'll have one more quick visit, before she flies back to Kansas (and Big Al).

It's great to have you back, B*B*ly! XO