My Old Friend

This week has been a really rough one for me and my family.  The first days back at school for my oldest 3 and a new adventure for my youngest 2 as we started homeschooling. My 34th birthday was Tuesday and it was a train wreck but my darling husband and children made it better as the evening went forward.

Tuesday, August 24, I lost the oldest friend I had. Her name was Donna Bankston and she was 38. When I was 3, Donna & her mother Dilcy moved into the apartment above the one shared by me, my sister, Shannon and our mother, Rita. Shannon and Donna were the same age and became as close as two friends could possibly be and remained that way for years to come. I was the tag along little sister but it was ok with Donna, she didn't mind.

Having Donna around was like having another sister, only this one was nice! LOL! Donna would stick up for me when Shannon was the typical mean older sister.  I wore Donna's hand-me- downs as well as my sisters, I played with discarded toys from Donna and it was Donna's momma, who got my 1st Cabbage Patch Kids for me! ( She got it at work for my mom to give me) Donna rescue Preston ( CPK's name...yes I still have him) from the evil clutches of my sister and return him to me when I thought Shannon had destroyed him.

The stories I can tell you about Donna as a kid. Man there is not enough time in the day! Somethings just stay with you, you know? Like the time Donna took an hour to chew a single green bean because she HATED them and you would have thought it was poison the way she carried on. She always had a flair for the dramatic. It was quite a site to see her acting like she was going to kill over if she had to swallow that green bean!

Or, the time she fell out of the window of her second floor bedroom!  Still not real sure just how that happened just know that Shannon and I were in our room which was right below Donna's and we saw something go past the window, only it went down instead of across. We jumped up and looked out and there was Donna laying on the ground looking up with this "how did I get here?" look! She was fine but she scared her momma, my momma, and the two of us beyond belief!

Shannon and Donna used to past notes when they were grounded back and forth through the bedroom windows with shoes strings they tied together. Could be that screen was loose from all the note passing but who knows? She did not learn from the first time because it happened again a few months later only this time we were all in her room. One minute she was sitting on the windowsill, the next minute she was gone! She did however perfect her landing!

The 3 of us did everything together. We walked to school together, got chased home by tornadoes together (yes that was an interesting day!), we went to church together, ate too many meals together to count, we were the 3 Amigos!  We even had matching blue jackets from our school! Somewhere I still have an old cassette that was made when Donna got Michael Jackson's Thriller Lp and we tried to record Shannon a copy by placing the tape recorder next to the record player. You can hear Donna and Shannon telling me to be quiet but that is all you can here.....they were so worried about me messing it up that they did it themselves!!! LOL!

As we got older and life happened, Shannon and Donna lost the connection they once shared but Donna and I remained in each others lives.  Her life revolved around her kids and making sure they had a better life. She worked so hard and endured so much hurt from people who did her wrong but she just kept going. Donna had pride and sometimes it stopped her from asking for help but she knew that if she needed me I would be there.

There were times when she had no food and I took her groceries. She had no lights, I helped pay the bill. I have helped her move a few times when life handed her yet another blow. She was grateful and if I had it to do over I would not change a thing. I only wish I could have done more. She knew I loved her and needed or wanted nothing in return, unlike so many others in her life.  She knew who loved her and her kids.

My only regret is that I moved to Texas and she moved to Kansas City and we didn't get to see each other again on this earth. We talked on the phone and on Facebook from time to time but it just isn't the same.  I have to believe that I will see her again.

I do not want to say goodbye but the time has come. God grant me the strength to be there for her children and her mother. I will miss you my old friend. I love you.