Sharon's {cancer} Story: Visit from an old friend

I wanted to share some pictures I took a few weeks before Ryan and I got married. I was still at mom's for the summer and her life-long best friend, Lisa, had come to visit for the day.

My mom didn't have a whole lot of 'girlfriends' - usually b/c she said most people (women) couldn't be trusted. I think she had been burned by a lot of people and found very few that she did trust. Mom was very choosy about who she let really 'know' her. Lisa was definitely a friend she trusted. Lisa watched my sister and I grow up and we witnessed her and my mom 'growing up' as well. Mom and Lisa had been through a whole lot together. They helped each other through some bad relationships, shared addictions together and helped kick the habits and get better. They 'found God' around the same time and started going to church. Although they did most of this on their own, they always stayed in touch and usually knew how the other was doing.

When Lisa found out mom was sick, she of course came to spend time w/ her. She, like the rest of us, found it difficult to do that - given my mom's crazy, lunatic husband. Nevertheless, Lisa came down for a day before the wedding to spend w/ mom. Mom was so, so happy to have her there (as you can tell in the pictures).


At this point, mom's health had declined to the point where she was forced to use a wheelchair. As I look back on these pictures, I remember how hard it was for mom to sit beside Lisa and pose for these pictures. She was in so much pain. But look at her - she is so happy! She wanted so bad to have fun and be silly - that was her. That's what I love about her so much... she had this incredibly deep side yet she could be a complete goof-ball and know how to have fun.

After mom passed, I made Lisa a mini scrapbook of her and mom through the years. I loved making that for her b/c Lisa was not only a good friend of mom's; she was also a good friend of our family (and especially to me and Tes). That was before I had a scanner and I unfortunately do not have a copy of the book, but I did find one picture on our computer of mom and Lisa to share from way back when:
As you can tell, it's from their wilder days - as they are both drinking their whiskey of choice: Jim Bean and Jack Daniels. It's obvious that they stuck by each others' side through thick and thin... the good times and the bad.

I'm glad I had mom as an example of what a good friend is. And I'm thankful that I have a few of these friends in my life... the one's that stick through thick and thin. You know who you are ;) and I love you all for sticking around in the good times and the bad.