I once read a statistic that you meet your best friend at age 21 and you have the most friends at 25. Another article states as you age it’s harder to make close friends AND to meet a new best friend in your 40s and 50s is rare. I was so fortunate to have met my life long best friend, Lisa in elementary school. We will always have a special bond no matter where we are in life. I have also been so blessed to have met my “mom village” from my sons sports and we lift each other up daily. I love all of them like sisters.
BUT… there was special friend I had, Joy. I met her later in life but she quickly became Thelma to my Louise. She was Blanche to my Rose. She was pure Joy! According to Webster’s Dictionary, Joy means something of great pleasure and happiness. When I met Joy she was just that; she was fire! She was charming, funny, beautiful and everyone was drawn to her like the sun. Joy was named perfectly.
I met Joy at my sons flag football game, her son played for the same team. That was twelve years ago and we instantly hit it off! I was single at the time and she was married. It’s funny how quickly life changes on you. During my friendship with her, I got married, had a baby and started a busines. She closed her business and was separated from her husband. Her birthday was in March so we shared and celebrated our March birthdays every year. We celebrated her 50th birthday in Nashville in grand style and celebrated my 45th with a spa day. She always had a plan for a good time!
Joy hosted our baby shower for Cash. She was there when Doug and I got married and helped plan it with me. She helped me set up my agency in Pigeon Forge; doing little things like painting the gold handles to silver on my desk furniture. We laughed so hard at times it hurt. She was the best cook and always brought food when anyone was sick. She was so special to me and many other people. Joy was the kind of person that made you want to be a better friend. We could go weeks, even months without talking because of our busy lives. It didn’t matter we would pick right back up whenever we saw each other.
Joy gave selflessly. I remember one time I had the flu and she would text me twice a day and dropped food off at my house daily. About a month later, she got the flu and I was texting her about going out for lunch to which she told me she couldn’t but catch her next week. I called her later that week and found out that she had the flu. She didn’t say a word! She didn’t want anyone to fuss over her. That was Joy, always giving and asking nothing in return.
Since this is Memorial Day, a holiday we shared with our families many times; I wanted to take a moment and honor my friend, Joy. I miss her very much and think about her every day. After her passing this past April, her husband told me, “you know Joy always wanted to be like you; she looked up to you”. The crazy thing is I wanted to be like Joy; a better friend, person. I looked up to her! She had a heart of gold and the world is a worse place without her in it. She was my Joy.
au revoir to my forties 