My Friend, Bill

"One day we were brought into the world knowing love only as being what we had for our toys, family, and friends. Then you meet someone who alters your conception of love, and you never know how you loved anything before because of this kind of love."

About 5 years or more ago, my close friend, Pedro, who I have vacationed with many times, bought a week vacation at house in Jamaica that had six bedrooms. So of course John and I were in. But so were four other rooms of people which meant that I was going to go on vacation with strangers and also have to share Pedro and Karen's company. Pedro said, "Sally, you are going to love these people".

"Pedro, I don't need to 'love these people' -- I can barely keep up with the lovin' of my friends I do have. Really, I just wanna go on vacation and love and have fun with you and Karen and my husband and that's all."

I fell madly in love with most of them and have told you about this before in brief when talking of my "twin" friend, Keith (Solly). Well I haven't talked about my friend, Billy. And yesterday, my friend Bill came up and spent the entire day with me at the bakery. THE ENTIRE DAY! Now let's be clear; Bill is an emergency room nurse who works long, long hours and went to bed early on Tuesday and had the day off yesterday to spend working in the bakery with me on my first day!

I'm trying to express what I feel about this gesture but words escape me. The tears however, do not. I am welled up with tears as I write this (thank God I know where "home-row" is on my computer so I can type w/o looking). My heart has swollen from his graciousness and it is truly hard for me to imagine being able to ever "pay him back" for such generosity and support. I love, love, deeply love, that he did this for me. He just opened up his heart and said "THIS is how I am going to support Sally"!

And truly, I could not have made it through the day without him. I'm also so glad he was there not just to make such lovely treats that he did for the bakery (see my Facebook page), but also because he made the day seem real for me. He held me up yesterday and believed more in my success and me than words can express. As I said, words escape me (Merry Me or Dani or Pam or Carolyn, can you help a girl out here!) :o)

So, Billy, my friend, today I salute you. I salute the stand you are for people's greatness. I salute your energy and generosity and graciousness. Mostly, I just love you. Deeply. Thank you for all of this, for seeing the beauty of how much my Daddy and Papa adore me and how the little girl in me wants to be adored. And thank you for loving me back.