The greatest gift one can give...

On 11 May 1983, my dear friend Jackie lost her long battle to cancer.  She has turned up in two other blogs besides this, and was another one of my much older, dear mentor friends when I was still a teenager.  In honor of Jackie, I am reposting this today.


The greatest gift one can give to another person, is a deeper understanding of life, and the ability to love and believe in self.
                                                                           -Chantal

I have noticed many of you, my dear readers, are all over the world, which touches me very deeply.  Life can be tough no matter who or where we are.  I hope by sharing a bit of my journey here, your own journey is brightened.

I would not be the person I am had it not been for the incredible, inspiring mentors I have had in my reality, and in books...when I needed them most.  

Jackie, whose unique laughter I mentioned in the Funniest Baptism blog, was a very dear mentor friend...much older than me yet very young at heart.  More importantly, they showed me love.

You see my art and horses became the amazing catalysts back then, bringing these very special lifetime friends and I together in such astounding ways.  Because Jackie and her husband also owned horses.  And it was our horses that brought us together.

One day when their son John, who was a few years older than me, was riding in The Fields by their house, where I too, often went.  Suddenly he saw me riding bareback as usual, galloping on Selah across the field.  He was amazed.  John rode up to me and asked if I would come meet his Mom, who he thought would absolutely love me.  We did, and she did.  The whole family did.

Soon due to the situation at my home it became necessary for me to begin living on my own at seventeen as I finished school.  Jackie's mother had a room I could rent very cheaply and I grabbed it, living there until I soared off to college and beyond.  Yet Jackie and I remained close.

When Jackie was diagnosed with cancer, I became her rock in a special way.  I often came into town to take her on outings.  She said I was the only person she could cry with and share her fears, because she didn't want to burden her family, who were already struggling with broken hearts.  But we also laughed.  Oh did we laugh.

One day on an outing, we stopped at a mall to eat.  Before we went in, she became worried about her appearance, feeling she wasn't dressy enough.  That's when I reminded her of something.

"Uh Jackie, remember, you're with ME!  Do you REALLY think ANYONE is going to even notice you exist with me beside you?!!"

As soon as I said this, she looked at me a moment, then burst into that crazy laugh of hers.  We both dissolved into tears of laughter.  She loved it.  She also realized I was right.

No one even noticed her.  But oh, they definitely noticed ME as usual!😄