Remembering Sid
My best friend in High School died last Friday. She had a massive heart attack. Her ex husband called to tell me the news and graciously invite me to her wake and funeral. Ironically I had been thinking of her on Friday. Sidney was a wonderful person and friend and I was blessed to have known her. Sidney had four kids, Rebecca, Jacob, Daniel and Sarah. We once joked that for two non religious people we sure did pick biblical names for our children.
I don't remember how we met. We were both transplants from other schools and therefore didn't have the huge circle of friends everyone else had. I don't remember how we got to be friends either. We really didn't have much in common. She was so smart and liked to learn. Sidney was in honors classes. Though I consider myself smart, I didn't like school and didn't try very hard. She actually read the required books, understood them and liked them. She graduated at the top of our class. I was somewhere in the middle.
My favorite thing to do with Sidney was visiting the Presidential Candidates during the 1980 election. We were seniors in High School. Sid and I went to every rally for every candidate that we could get to. Our favorite was Jerry Brown. In 1980 he was very handsome and had striking blue eyes. He was dating Linda Rondstat at the time and we checked out the crowd anxiously looking for her and some of his other supporters such as Jackson Browne and Phoebe Snow. We also saw Ted Kennedy and were pushed down by his Secret Service in a crowd. It was like seeing a movie star. Frequently we sat by the Foreign Press and talked to them. We imagined that they wrote about Sid, but they always took my picture. The Asian press always questioned her about being brought up by a single Mom but they loved my blond hair. I don't know who she voted for in the primary, but Jimmy Carter became our president later that year.
My second favorite memory was going to the outdoor theatre in Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH. We always got there as early as possible to get a good seat. My favorite play was South Pacific. We never had trouble passing the time before the show. She was always great company.
Ned, her ex husband, told me she had struggled with her health, including her mental health for the last few years. I was sorry to hear that, but I was not completely surprised. My last few conversations with her were hard and I knew she was struggling. She had lost custody of her kids and that must have been brutally hard for everyone. Her funeral is today and I will not be there. My surgeon not only didn't give me permission to drive that far, he didn't want me to even travel. To Rebecca, Jacob, Daniel and Sarah, I want you to know that your Mother was wonderful and as my friend she was loyal and kind. She had a wonderful smile and sparkle to her beautiful blue eyes. She was smart and thoughtful and was sadly brought down by a disease she had no control over. My world was better because your Mother was in it and was my friend.
I don't remember how we met. We were both transplants from other schools and therefore didn't have the huge circle of friends everyone else had. I don't remember how we got to be friends either. We really didn't have much in common. She was so smart and liked to learn. Sidney was in honors classes. Though I consider myself smart, I didn't like school and didn't try very hard. She actually read the required books, understood them and liked them. She graduated at the top of our class. I was somewhere in the middle.
My favorite thing to do with Sidney was visiting the Presidential Candidates during the 1980 election. We were seniors in High School. Sid and I went to every rally for every candidate that we could get to. Our favorite was Jerry Brown. In 1980 he was very handsome and had striking blue eyes. He was dating Linda Rondstat at the time and we checked out the crowd anxiously looking for her and some of his other supporters such as Jackson Browne and Phoebe Snow. We also saw Ted Kennedy and were pushed down by his Secret Service in a crowd. It was like seeing a movie star. Frequently we sat by the Foreign Press and talked to them. We imagined that they wrote about Sid, but they always took my picture. The Asian press always questioned her about being brought up by a single Mom but they loved my blond hair. I don't know who she voted for in the primary, but Jimmy Carter became our president later that year.
My second favorite memory was going to the outdoor theatre in Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH. We always got there as early as possible to get a good seat. My favorite play was South Pacific. We never had trouble passing the time before the show. She was always great company.
Ned, her ex husband, told me she had struggled with her health, including her mental health for the last few years. I was sorry to hear that, but I was not completely surprised. My last few conversations with her were hard and I knew she was struggling. She had lost custody of her kids and that must have been brutally hard for everyone. Her funeral is today and I will not be there. My surgeon not only didn't give me permission to drive that far, he didn't want me to even travel. To Rebecca, Jacob, Daniel and Sarah, I want you to know that your Mother was wonderful and as my friend she was loyal and kind. She had a wonderful smile and sparkle to her beautiful blue eyes. She was smart and thoughtful and was sadly brought down by a disease she had no control over. My world was better because your Mother was in it and was my friend.
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