The Really Hard Part #4 - My Sisters
Christmas Eve, a glass of Scotch and a few pangs of homesickness. Thinking about my sisters.
Yes, I said that I was an only child, and I am...biologically. But from the time I was 6, my life has been blessed with girlfriends who, to this day, are part of the fabric of my being. They helped to shape me, guide me, support me, get me out of jams...and sometimes into them. I would not be who I am today without them.
I feel a bit guilty about singling out the ones I am going to mention here, but these 4 have been part of my life for over 20 years on the shortest end and 54 on the longest. Names I could add: Janet, Laurie, Betty, Bev, Suzana, Shelli, Marsha, Cindy Mc...all of whom were pivotal during various parts of my life. I love you all. But I am going to talk about 4 in chronological order: Pam, Cindy, Char and Shelley.
In 1963, I moved from Ontario to Bridgewater, NS where I skipped Grade 1 and was put in with a group of similar students who became my "squad", as they say now, all the way through school. Pamela Lynn Veinotte became my BFF. She, too was an only child, daughter of a school teacher. She, too, loved horses and lived in a magical place called, Western Shore where there was island with Pirate Treasure! I lived for sleep overs because her dad played the piano and we had such wonderful evenings singing. We knew everything about each other, and, as we got older, those conversations got more and more interesting. We went through Brownies and Girl Guides; Bridgewater Exhibition parades when it was held in September and all the classes participated, hiding leprechauns in the cloak rooms at school, playing with my stuffed monkeys, and having our pictures taken together each year on grading day from Grade 2 -6. See bottom picture Grade 2. Top picture at the visitation for "Aunt Ferne", Pam's mom and my Grade 5 teacher.
Junior High came along, and with it, some imports from the big city of Mill Village: the Campbell and Ricketts families. Cindy Campbell fit in like a piece of the puzzle. Quirky, vivacious, hilariously gullible, pint sized and...had 5 siblings! What a novelty! We became known as the Big 3; never apart from Gr 7 -12. Girl Guide camps, Rangers, reading risque novels in the back stacks of the high school library, riding camp, beach ventures, early morning jogging ( Cindy, I still can hear you tapping on my window), frog catching for Biology class, school dances, concerts and...of course...boys! Now keep in mind, all 3 of us were pretty darn innocent back in those days, but I found THE BOOK ( wrapped in plain brown paper and hidden under my mother's mattress - how to get my attention😂) "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex: But Were Afraid to Ask"! A voracious reader, I quickly became the best educated and least experienced Grade 9 ever. Much to Cindy's horror, I had to inform her that, no, babies did not come from God. All I can say is, Thank God I found that book! I can remember talking to Cindy on the phone for hours, the song, "Sugar Sugar" playing; talking about music, boys, the Poppy Family playing.."Which Way You Going Billy?, school, David Cassidy singing "Cherish", boys and our hopes and dreams...Edward Bear playing "Fly Across the Sea". The nights when my mother's rage and cruelty could not be tolerated, Lighthouse playing "Sunny Days", Cindy's mom and dad gave me a safe place to be. I will never forget that.
Grade 12 - the Young Voyageurs trip to Manitoba (and my first kiss!) and the knowledge that we would soon have to go our ways into the world. Prom, after Prom Green Bay party ..snicker..but I will tell no stories here. Graduation. Pictures: Pam & Louis LeBlanc, My Grade 12 pic, The Big 3 at Grad (Cindy, Pam & me) William Ricketts
Off we went: me to Mount St. Vincent; Pam to Dalhousie and Cindy to Kings. We stayed tight; new friends came along, but we never lost touch. When I was about to drop out of university in Nov 1974 and get married, guess who came to talk some sense into me. As each milestone occurred in our lives, we called each other first; no details were left out. I have to say that it still like that for us even though our times together are not frequent.
We graduated and drifted apart. I went to Ontario and then BC from 1978 to 1987 and then moved back to NS. We both were bridesmaids at Pam's wedding to Frank Balcolm, but I was in BC when Cindy married David Ryan. We exchanged letters and cards ( they were always much better at it than I was) and thus kept our ties strong.
Pam could not come to my first wedding as she was standing for her cousin on the same day. Cindy gave the toast at my wedding to Cameron Broome in 1988. She knew just what to say; she knew me. Tragically, Cindy lost her husband to brain cancer at a very young age; I remember getting the call from Pam; this could not be happening to one of us. It was our first real jolt that life can be cruel.
My life went askew around 1996 and for the next 9 years I was MIA. I was not in a good place and, even though they were the ones I probably needed in my life, I cut off contact. something I regret now. We were there for each other when our parents passed on, though, the ending of a generation and the passing of the torch. I don't remember how we reconnected, but there we were in 2006, at The Economy Shoe Shop in Halifax, catching up our lives like we had never left high school. And there were quite a few stories to tell and some to retell with much laughter and love - the kind of love you can only get from people who have known the good and the bad and love you anyway! I remember how exhilarated I felt that night....young again at 59.
We kept in touch; Pam was in Alberta and Cindy was PEI; all 3 of us remarried. 2014 brought 40 years since we graduated. So we decided to organize a reunion. Now we may have been the Big 3 in high school, but we were also part of a very close group of friends, many of whom I had not seen since we graduated as I had moved around so much. They all came but one (Steve): David, Derek, Nandish, Michael, Gwen, Tom, William...and many more. Oh, the memories that were shared that night; the teachers who were toasted..many now gone..but will always be a part of our lives. It was, for me, a profound evening, and many times 3 pairs of eyes met and knew what each other was thinking...sisters!
We have managed to get together each August since then for dinner and to celebrate Pam's birthday. William usually joins us. This last August was bittersweet; I always seem to be the one leaving. But Facebook is a blessing and I truly hope that we can reunite the end of the summer 2018 when I return to NS for Jocey's wedding. This time, ladies, I want a sleepover!🍷 💤👭 I love you!
TBC.....
Yes, I said that I was an only child, and I am...biologically. But from the time I was 6, my life has been blessed with girlfriends who, to this day, are part of the fabric of my being. They helped to shape me, guide me, support me, get me out of jams...and sometimes into them. I would not be who I am today without them.
I feel a bit guilty about singling out the ones I am going to mention here, but these 4 have been part of my life for over 20 years on the shortest end and 54 on the longest. Names I could add: Janet, Laurie, Betty, Bev, Suzana, Shelli, Marsha, Cindy Mc...all of whom were pivotal during various parts of my life. I love you all. But I am going to talk about 4 in chronological order: Pam, Cindy, Char and Shelley.
In 1963, I moved from Ontario to Bridgewater, NS where I skipped Grade 1 and was put in with a group of similar students who became my "squad", as they say now, all the way through school. Pamela Lynn Veinotte became my BFF. She, too was an only child, daughter of a school teacher. She, too, loved horses and lived in a magical place called, Western Shore where there was island with Pirate Treasure! I lived for sleep overs because her dad played the piano and we had such wonderful evenings singing. We knew everything about each other, and, as we got older, those conversations got more and more interesting. We went through Brownies and Girl Guides; Bridgewater Exhibition parades when it was held in September and all the classes participated, hiding leprechauns in the cloak rooms at school, playing with my stuffed monkeys, and having our pictures taken together each year on grading day from Grade 2 -6. See bottom picture Grade 2. Top picture at the visitation for "Aunt Ferne", Pam's mom and my Grade 5 teacher.
Junior High came along, and with it, some imports from the big city of Mill Village: the Campbell and Ricketts families. Cindy Campbell fit in like a piece of the puzzle. Quirky, vivacious, hilariously gullible, pint sized and...had 5 siblings! What a novelty! We became known as the Big 3; never apart from Gr 7 -12. Girl Guide camps, Rangers, reading risque novels in the back stacks of the high school library, riding camp, beach ventures, early morning jogging ( Cindy, I still can hear you tapping on my window), frog catching for Biology class, school dances, concerts and...of course...boys! Now keep in mind, all 3 of us were pretty darn innocent back in those days, but I found THE BOOK ( wrapped in plain brown paper and hidden under my mother's mattress - how to get my attention😂) "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex: But Were Afraid to Ask"! A voracious reader, I quickly became the best educated and least experienced Grade 9 ever. Much to Cindy's horror, I had to inform her that, no, babies did not come from God. All I can say is, Thank God I found that book! I can remember talking to Cindy on the phone for hours, the song, "Sugar Sugar" playing; talking about music, boys, the Poppy Family playing.."Which Way You Going Billy?, school, David Cassidy singing "Cherish", boys and our hopes and dreams...Edward Bear playing "Fly Across the Sea". The nights when my mother's rage and cruelty could not be tolerated, Lighthouse playing "Sunny Days", Cindy's mom and dad gave me a safe place to be. I will never forget that.
Grade 12 - the Young Voyageurs trip to Manitoba (and my first kiss!) and the knowledge that we would soon have to go our ways into the world. Prom, after Prom Green Bay party ..snicker..but I will tell no stories here. Graduation. Pictures: Pam & Louis LeBlanc, My Grade 12 pic, The Big 3 at Grad (Cindy, Pam & me) William Ricketts
Off we went: me to Mount St. Vincent; Pam to Dalhousie and Cindy to Kings. We stayed tight; new friends came along, but we never lost touch. When I was about to drop out of university in Nov 1974 and get married, guess who came to talk some sense into me. As each milestone occurred in our lives, we called each other first; no details were left out. I have to say that it still like that for us even though our times together are not frequent.
We graduated and drifted apart. I went to Ontario and then BC from 1978 to 1987 and then moved back to NS. We both were bridesmaids at Pam's wedding to Frank Balcolm, but I was in BC when Cindy married David Ryan. We exchanged letters and cards ( they were always much better at it than I was) and thus kept our ties strong.
Pam could not come to my first wedding as she was standing for her cousin on the same day. Cindy gave the toast at my wedding to Cameron Broome in 1988. She knew just what to say; she knew me. Tragically, Cindy lost her husband to brain cancer at a very young age; I remember getting the call from Pam; this could not be happening to one of us. It was our first real jolt that life can be cruel.
My life went askew around 1996 and for the next 9 years I was MIA. I was not in a good place and, even though they were the ones I probably needed in my life, I cut off contact. something I regret now. We were there for each other when our parents passed on, though, the ending of a generation and the passing of the torch. I don't remember how we reconnected, but there we were in 2006, at The Economy Shoe Shop in Halifax, catching up our lives like we had never left high school. And there were quite a few stories to tell and some to retell with much laughter and love - the kind of love you can only get from people who have known the good and the bad and love you anyway! I remember how exhilarated I felt that night....young again at 59.
We kept in touch; Pam was in Alberta and Cindy was PEI; all 3 of us remarried. 2014 brought 40 years since we graduated. So we decided to organize a reunion. Now we may have been the Big 3 in high school, but we were also part of a very close group of friends, many of whom I had not seen since we graduated as I had moved around so much. They all came but one (Steve): David, Derek, Nandish, Michael, Gwen, Tom, William...and many more. Oh, the memories that were shared that night; the teachers who were toasted..many now gone..but will always be a part of our lives. It was, for me, a profound evening, and many times 3 pairs of eyes met and knew what each other was thinking...sisters!
We have managed to get together each August since then for dinner and to celebrate Pam's birthday. William usually joins us. This last August was bittersweet; I always seem to be the one leaving. But Facebook is a blessing and I truly hope that we can reunite the end of the summer 2018 when I return to NS for Jocey's wedding. This time, ladies, I want a sleepover!🍷 💤👭 I love you!
TBC.....
Merry Christmas! Girlfriends are something to be treasured.
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