Monday, July 23, 2007

Fun Monday - July 23


Willowtree of A Dingo's Got My Barbie is the venerable host of this week's Fun Monday challenge. WT is asking the participants, "Tell us about your best friend. Particularly things like: where you first met, how long you've been friends and why you think you are best friends." Or "Who is the TV character that most makes you want to put your foot through the screen (it must be a character, not a person in reality TV). And why."

This may be a difficult task as many people have several friends. I like to think that I have many friends and several of these friends are close. So for my best friend story, I will tell you about my friend for the longest time. I met Becky when she was 4 and 1/2, and I was 5 years old. Remember when those half-years made such a difference. I remember meeting Becky when we playing and riding tricycles at another little friend's house. When Becky did reach her fifth birthday, her mom invited me to Becky's birthday party. As Becky and I grew to adulthood, we attended the same elementary school, Frances Slocum, the same junior high, Lakeside, and the same high school, North Side, and our families worshipped at the same church, Trinity Episcopal. In the picture, Becky is the cute smiling child seated on the chair. I am the child directly to her left, the one with the straight bangs.




As a friend, Becky has always been all those things that you could ask for in a friend. Becky is smart, kind, loyal, and funny. Like all children we had our adventures. In Fort Wayne during the fifties, children as young as eight or nine frequently rode the city buses downtown to see a movie, to go shopping , or to attend church. Onetime, Becky and I decided to walk home from confirmation class instead of riding the bus. Walking apparently was viewed as not safe as our parents were unhappy with our decision to walk through some areas that were not deemed as safe. On this walk as we crossed a rickety old bridge over Spy Run Creek, silly me, I became frightened as the bridge shook and shimmied as vehicles crossed the bridge. Becky encouraged me to keep on going and maybe even held my hand as we crossed. Isn't that what friends do encourage one another. As the years past, Becky was there to encourage me through many other bridge crossings in my life.

Not only has Becky been my dear friend for many years, but her parents seemed to adopt me as another daughter, or maybe I adopted them. Becky's mom like her daughter is kind, conscientious, and supportive. Becky's father was one of the funniest men that I have known. I have fond memories of staying overnight at Becky's house. Her father would regale the two of us with play-acting either as a monster or a as famous movie star of his creation, Barf Beagle. Another important characteristic of a good friend is being able to share good times as well as bad. Becky and I have shared many good times and fortunately only a few moments of sorrow.



Two of those cherished moments of good times were our respective weddings. We even wore the same wedding veil or mantilla, which belonged to a mutual friend. When I married Daddy D in 1966, Becky was a part of our wedding. Becky married in 1970, and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. Even though Becky has lived in different parts of the country first in Texas and now lives in the state of Washington, we are still in contact with each other after 50 some years of friendship. The black white picture is my wedding. Becky is the lovely bridesamid in the middle on the right. The color picture is a snapshot of Becky' s wedding. The matron of honor is me in pink.



To learn about some other grand friends or hated television characters, visit Willowtree for a list of this week's participants.

32 comments:

willowtree said...

Now that's a friendship! I doubt we'll get anything to match that.

It's a credit to both of you that you have managed to maintain the friendship.

ChrisB said...

That is an enduring friendship I really loved reading about it.
In my post I mentioned a friend I met in early 50's so I have known her for 57 years although we are not in close contact now and as I write this I realise it's her birthday on Aug 1st.

Jen said...

Wow, 50 years! As other people have said, that's an enduring friendship. How wonderful, and you both looked lovely on your respective wedding days. What a beautiful post, mjd. I always end up smiling when I read your blog.

captain corky said...

Very nice! I really enjoy your blog! I have a handful of guys I've been friends with all my life, and I consider them all to be brothers.

Debs said...

Lovely post and grand pics. :)

Beccy said...

How nice to read of a friendship that has endured so many years. I love the picture of you as children, very cute.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post!

Beckie said...

What a nice tribute to friendship!

I need to keep my eyes open - another Becky that lives in WA.

Jodi said...

I can only hope my best friend and I can one day look back and say "it's been 50 years and we are still going strong!"

Happy Monday!

Anonymous said...

Amazing! 50 years. If this were a friendship contest you would win hands down. So nice to see friendships last the test of time.

my4kids said...

I hope that my friend who I've been friends with for 18 years and I will still be close 32 years from now! That is a great story.

Kaytabug said...

What a wonderful story. I love your B/W photos. I love all your story's! I can relate, as my BFF and I met very young and even though she moved during HS we are still BFF's and I will love arriving at the day we get to say we have been friends for 50 years. That is fantastic!!
I think we have 22 more years until we can claim being friends for fifty years!!

Anonymous said...

How wonderful to have someone so special as part of your life for so long. You deserve each other!

Amy W said...

What a great friendship!!

MommaBoo said...

God bless Becky!

I ALWAYS love your old photos.

Today is no exception.

Wonderful post and I enjoyed reading it.

"Friends are the family we choose."

Happy Monday!

Margaret said...

I can trace back a few of my friends to junior high, like Tonya of Kingfisher Cove. Most of my close ones are either from college or work-which are more recent. I love reading your stories!

Anonymous said...

I do remember when those half years made a difference. Now that I am older they still make a difference, only in the opposite direction!

Congratulations on the longevity of your friendship with Becky. There must be something really special there to hold the two of you together!

Biddie said...

I have an enduring friendship, too. My dearest friend has been my steadfast supporter since I was 15 years old.
How lucky are we?!
I love your photos!

Pamela said...

I love the "bangs," and the fact that you remember her 5th birthday.

Okay... do you remember what you got her? just kidding,.
A friendship to be envied!

Anonymous said...

Although Corky and I are the only ones that blog regularly there are 5 in our little tribe and it is a pretty special relationship. What's even better is that we are aware how rare and special it is to make friends like that.

Anonymous said...

That is special, a friendship to span so many years. I sometimes reflect how long I have known some of my friends and I am amazed at the amount of time that has past, and how old I must be to have had friends for that amount of time. Wonderful post.

theotherbear said...

ah, lovely!
I sure hope I can say that about a friendship one day.
Loved the wedding photos in particular.

Anonymous said...

I love the pictures. You are lucky. Not many people can say they've had the same best friend for 50 years!

Tiggerlane said...

Great photos - and what a fantastic friendship. Thanks for sharing...I had visions of the female version of "Stand By Me" during your bridge story.

Raven_Dase said...

that was soo sweet!

Anonymous said...

Now see i know ya'll wrote about each othe rbut it was totally diff info.. cool... way cool that ya'll have been friends for so long.. so very neat to do that you don't see it much anymore!

irreverentmama said...

Wow. That's a friendship worth writing about. I wonder if any of my current friends will last that long? (Assuming we all live that long!)

AfKaP said...

You always have the BEST pictures!! And of course 1/2 a year makes a difference when you are 4 and a half - That's a ninth of your life - more than 10 percent!!

Rachel (Crazy-Is) said...

Wow, 50 years of friendship! That's awesome!

Frema said...

At this point I don't use the phrase "best friend" anymore, because I consider my sisters to be my best friends, but I do have dear ones in my life that I couldn't do without, just like your Becky. :)

Gina said...

It is so wonderful to hear how you both have maintainted your friendship over the years!

I would say my oldest friend is my best friend from high school, although I wouldn't say we are quite as close as we were then. That would put us at an almost twenty year friendship, though.

daddy d said...

Becky is not only a great friend, she has a very nice name.