My Lifelong and Best Friend, Diana

This morning, as I was listening to the news station tell us about the snow storm of the century that is

supposed to hit us this weekend, I was thinking about my best friend, Diana, who lives in Naples, Florida.  I heard that it was even cool down there.  Why yes, it was a balmy 42 degrees there when I looked it up on my phone.  I sent her an email and she told me they were freezing.  They had to turn their heater on, which is pretty uncommon down there.  42 degrees here is no coat weather!  Isn't it interesting how we acclimate to the weather where we live?  Weather changes and life changes are inevitable, and we learn to deal with those changes.

But, the one thing that hasn't changed over time is the friendship that Diana and I share.  I am so very thankful for her.  We always tell everyone that we are family, and we are.  We have always been sisters from another mother and dad.  I don't remember ever not knowing Diana or having her in my life.  Her mom, dad, sister, and she moved to Ulysses before we started kindergarten. She and her family are all in my earliest memories.  Her parents attended the same church we did, and our parents became fast friends also.  Her older sister (by a year and 3 days), Angela, was just like my sister also.

This is truer than you'll ever know!

We've been through a lifetime of memories together....growing up together (I spent as much time at her house as I did my own and vice versa), elementary, junior high, and high school, and even 1 year of college together, adventures too numerous to count, both of our weddings, the death of both of my parents and older brother, the death of her sister and dad.......what made that connection so strong for us?  

I don't know the answer to that question and just recently, I gave my students a Quickwrite with the following prompt:  All of us have friends in our lives.  What do you look for in a friend?  What is that one special quality/characteristic that you are looking for?  I always sit down and write with my students.  That was a very difficult Quickwrite.  I couldn't really answer that question with anything except, "I want a friend that has all the qualities of my friend, Diana."  Is it honesty? Trustworthiness?  Integrity?  Kindness?  Compassionate?  Dependable?  A good listener?  All of the above?

Tough question to answer.  We fought like sisters, and yet loved each other.  Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself.  That bond is just there and always has been.  We can go for really long periods of time without seeing each other or talking to each other, and the minute we get together, it's like we never were apart.  

I recently spent 5 days at Christmas time with her, and after hearing Diana's husband, Mike, say something about he didn't know how late we were up that he had gone on to bed and we were still sitting on the deck talking (I do believe that night it was after midnight - we had a lot of catching up to do!), Diana's niece, Cali, said, "Wow, Jari, you are someone special.  Diana doesn't stay up for anyone!"  (She typically does go to bed around 8 or 8:30 every night except when I visit!).  Well, I am someone special because I have Diana in my life.  I am one lucky girl to have such a dear and special friend!

On the beach in Naples - April 2011

More to come on our many adventures we have shared...