Didja Ever Notice....

That people who most loudly proclaim their superiority over others, are quite often those who are most profoundly lacking in the attributes that make human beings bearable to one another??

Strangely enough, they often cite instances of extraordinarily low behavior to illustrate their transcendent humanity. Further, instead of letting their sterling character serve as its own shining beacon of supremacy, they are compelled to enlighten anyone and everyone who is unaware that they are smarter, wiser, pithier, bolder, braver. That their morals, values ethics, and ideals are stronger and truer; their commitment to them more stalwart. So great is their conviction that they will tolerate no impeachment of them. They are, in every estimable fashion, better than their fellow human beings.

Clearly, humility is neither a requirement nor a hallmark of such greatness.

And then there are people who are truly, rarely, and beautifully good, but whom are completely unconvinced of their worth. They are humble and self-effacing, completely unaware of just how much they gladden the hearts of those around them. They don’t realize that they are a precious gift to those lucky enough to call them friend, mother, wife, or lover. They simply and quietly live their lives in the pursuit of bringing joy and comfort to others while forsaking their own needs and masking their own hurt.

My friend,"Maria" (as in, "How Do You Solve a Problem Like…") is just such a person. She is the light of so many lives; the calm in the storm of adolescence for her older children, a ray of sunshine and mirth maker for her younger, an honest and steadfast friend....the list goes on. She has the heart of a poet and I imagine that as a child, she was called a day dreamer and a sillyheart. She is Julie Andrews without the bad haircut. She has been my champion, my wound tender, my rock and my shoulder.

And now, my dear sweet friend is experiencing the kind of life defining struggle that leaves one raw and gasping for breath; unsure of everything except that nothing is as one thought. I want to wave a wand and make all the pain go away for she who has salved so many hurt souls with her gentle words and humor. But I can’t. There is nothing I can do except to tell her that I love her. And that my life is better for having her in it. And that I would do ANYTHING to take away her pain and make everything okay again.

She thinks that who she is has changed, but it hasn’t. Her heart, though heavy, is still pure and tender. She is still my Maria, my flibbertigibbet, my will o’the wisp, my clown.

The world would be a dark and lonely place without people like Maria in it and even the superiority mongers know it.

Love you Maria. Any time you need a soft place to land, you head down South. The weather is great right now, the pool water is still cool and inviting, and I've got plenty of Mint Julep to get us good and snockered.