Posted by Jeff on January 4, 2009, 6:55 pm
71.224.133.117
I was going through some old files on my computer today, and I came across this one. I posted it here once before, but I thought I'd post it again just because it's a reminder for all of us about the kinds of things that are important in life - something worth remembering as we start off a new year. Those little moments that might seem insignificant at the time can mean so much when they become treasured memories. I remember when I wrote this, it was just a few weeks after Jill died. I had been thinking back over some old memories, and I realized something important - that all those little moments growing up together, all the times we were there for each other, from the smallest and seemingly insignificant moments to the the big life-changing events that shaped our lives and drew us together as the closest of friends - those things were all laying the foundation for the friendship that led us to where we are today. Jill trusted us to raise Katie for her because that's the kind of trust that can only be built by 30 years of friendship. I hate that Jill is gone, and not a day goes by that I don't wish that she could be here to raise Katie herself...but we have Katie now because of her and because of our beautiful friendship, and I will forever be grateful to Jill for giving us that gift. So I wrote this to remind me to always treasure those little moments as I go through life - even the moments that don't seem important at the time - because I know that someday I will look back on them and realize that those little moments were the ones that mattered most of all.
"I Was There"
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I was there the day you climbed into the treehouse and said "Hi, I'm Jill." We were 6 years old, and we had our whole lives ahead of us. Little did we know that one day this random crossing of our paths would come to mean so much.
I was there the day you learned to ride your bike without the training wheels. You kept falling and getting up again, over and over. You were determined to do it, because you were Jill, and you refused to let anything beat you.
I was there the day you gave me the "best friend" medal that you made for me, and you told me to keep it forever. I still have it.
I was there on your birthday, every year. I was there the day you turned 13, and suddenly hair and makeup were more important to you than baseball cards and hockey. I didn't agree, but I understood. We were growing up, and we were different. But that was ok, because you were still Jill, and you were still my best friend.
I was there the day your father died. I held you while you cried, but I didn't know what to say. You said "Just hold me," so I did. Then I watched you get back on your feet, hold your head up high, and go on. Because you were Jill, and you refused to let anything beat you.
I was there the day Steve M. broke your heart. I held you while you cried, and I told you Steve was a fool, and that anybody would be lucky to have you. And I meant it.
I was there the day you got your driver's license. And the day Mike what's-his-name-isniewski asked you to the prom. And the day you got the lead in the school play. And the day you sang the National Anthem in front of 20000 people in Concord. And all the other happy and proud moments in your life that seemed to come so easily for you. And I was happy for you, because you were my best friend.
I was there the day we graduated from high school. You were proud of all that you had accomplished; I was just happy to be done. It didn't matter that we had different goals - I was happy for you, and you were happy for me, because you were my best friend and that was all that mattered.
I was there the day you left for college. And I was there the day you got your degree, and the day you got your first real job. And I was happy for you, because you were my best friend and you had accomplished everything you had set out to do.
I was there the day your mother died. I held you while you cried, but I didn't know what to say. You said "Just hold me," so I did. Then I watched you get back on your feet, hold your head up high, and go on. Because you were Jill, and you refused to let anything beat you.
I was there the day you met Glenn. I told you that night that I could tell he was the one you were going to marry someday. And I was right. And I was happy for you, because you were my best friend, and all your dreams were about to come true.
I was there on your wedding day, the happiest day of your life. It was an honor for me to stand beside you that day, and to toast your new life together, because you were my best friend.
I was there the day Katie was born. I'll never forget the look of joy in your eyes when I got there and saw you holding her in your arms. Life was perfect. Everything you'd ever dreamed of had come true. And I was happy for you, because you were my best friend.
I was there the day Glenn died. I'll never forget the sound of your voice on the phone that night when you called, nor the look in your eyes when I got there. I held you while you cried, but I didn't know what to say. You said "Just hold me," so I did. Then I watched you get back on your feet, hold your head up high, and go on. Because you were Jill, and you refused to let anything beat you.
I was there the day the doctor told you that you had cancer. And I was there the day he told you that it wasn't responding to treatment. I held you while you cried, and I told you that you would be ok. I told you that you would beat it, and that you would live to be 100, because you were Jill, and you refused to let anything beat you.
I was there the day you knew that cancer had beaten you. I held you while you cried, but I didn't know what to say. You said "Just hold me," so I did. I knew that you had fought as hard as you could, because you were Jill. I promised you that I would be there until the end, and do whatever I had to do. And I meant it. Because that's what best friends do.
I was there the day you died. I held your hand while you took your last breath, just like I had promised I would. I held Katie while she cried, but I didn't know what to say. I could hear your voice saying "Just hold her," so I did. Then I watched her get back on her feet, hold her head up high, and go on. Because she's Katie, and she's just like you, and she refuses to let anything beat her.
I was there the day she started 2nd grade.
And I was there the day she learned to ride her bike without the training wheels.
And I'll be there the day she turns 13, and the day she gets her driver's license, and the day she graduates from high school, and from college.
And I'll be there to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.
I'll be there. And you'll be there too, because you're Jill, and you wouldn't miss any of that for the world. I know that, because I was there - growing up with you, laughing with you, crying with you, celebrating with you, grieving with you. Just being with you. I was there. Because you were my best friend.
I'll never forget.
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