I had 3 beloved girlfriends growing up from 12 years old to almost 20. We were happy good friends, always together. I tried to get as many slumber parties setup as possible, Tiffany, Rebekah and Jennifer were more like sisters to me. I never wanted to loose that connection, and I romanticized growing old together with all our families staying close. Most importantly to me, I wanted to never forget how wonderful our youth was, how beautiful we were as young girls. When I was with my girls I was so loved. I felt both peace and laughter help me face growing up. Tiffany was dreamy and artistic. Rebekah was serous and smart. Jennifer was loving and logical and I was emotional and dreamy. The four of us actually made a good balance in our crazy high school years. I loved those girls, how blessed I was in my life by their friendship. Eventually college and marriage would take them away into adulthood. I like remembering, I still have that dreamy emotional high school girl inside me. I have found who I am apart from my friends, apart from my church or my family. I guess that allows me to look back in my history with a proud smile, with the tip of my hat! I had a good start in my life with 3 beautiful girls that I could call my beloved friends.
Tiff, Beka, Jen and I laid on our backs in the sunshine. It was on a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon with the sounds of kids running out in the field playing. The four of us girls laid back in the warmth of the sun on a blanket. Our lacy skirts and long hair touched each other comfortably. I could see the bright soft blue sky above us then I closed my eyes. Tiffany reached for my hand as she sighed saying dreamily "I wish I could just have Abigale Joy." I sat up suddenly asking "What kind of joy is THAT?" The girls all burst out laughing at me. I sat up surprised "What, what is so funny?" I asked as the laughing continued. Rebekah caught her breath first saying "Oh Debby you are so funny, Abigale Joy is the name of her first daughter. It not an actual type of joy..." The laughter started up again and I shrugged explaining "Well...You know how there are several kinds of love with different names, so I thought Abigale was another name for joy." I stopped to look at Tiffany laying on her back holding her sides slowing her laughter, "YOU already have your kids names pick out?!" Tiffany nodded "Just a couple of ideas....but now I think there is a different kind of joy called "Debby's joy." Everyone giggled and I rolled my eyes still smiling.
Rebekah's bedroom was full of books, more books then I had ever seen actually in one space. I walked in to sit on her bed just hanging out with her. "This is going to be my library, see these book shelves will go over there and I am going to alphabetize it all into sections." She smiled pushing up her dark framed glasses, Rebekah was the type of friend who loved passionately talking books, lasting for hours, I was suddenly interested in reading books because she shared with me such passion for something I wasn't familiar with. Seeing Rebekah's growing library I was very impressed! I was happy to have her in my life, she always took the time to show me the world of books. Her knowledge was something to admire, when she took me under her swing for my high school text books I realized I would have been lost without her. Rebekah would use her hands or draw out ways to brake down my biology book, I was fascinated by her teachings as a true student. She helped me see a visual and a simple form to make it possible to remember "I bet you will be a school teacher someday!" I exclaimed after I showed her my new grade I went from a D to a B. "B is for BEAUTIFUL!" I excitedly explained as I showed her how her teaching had helped me. Rebekah was a thoughtful teacher and often she asked me how did I get this far in life with so little schooling. When my mom started having more babies, she became distracted from homeschooling. Leaving us to teach ourselves through a correspondence course, It took 3 weeks from when my sister and I mailed off our written exams to getting them back with all these incomplete comments on it. I realized I wasn't learning anything by this system. So I went to my Beloved Friend Rebekah who was the smartest person I knew. She gladly tutored me through Biology whenever I could get over to her place to study. I will always remember how she taught me with kindness and all those inspiring ideas. I could tell she loved learning, she loved teaching, she loved knowledge and understanding how things worked. She even broke down my algebra book in ways I would never have gotten it just reading by myself. Rebekah soon realized she had to start at the very beginning in education with me, yet she never made me feel stupid. I knew enough to seek her out for help, I would have liked to of had an actual visual teacher growing up. After all my high school text books were finished the highest score I ever got was in Biology. My Beka girl was wonderful! She actually the only teacher I ever had in school besides my own mother. Beka was very important to me in her help during those years. I am in awe she was in my life!
Sitting in her library bedroom I was eating up all the titles of books, she gave me some to read, to borrow. Rebekah said confidently "Reading is where it all begins Debby!" I smiled happily, realizing I could at least give it a try...
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