It’s funny how the tiniest of details can trigger a memory. Sometimes sad memories, but sometimes the kind of happy memories that take you right back to an exact point in your life when you laughed till your tummy hurt and smiled till your face ached. When I drove towards Rathmore Heights to collect Michael in May, to say I was devastated for my friend would be an understatement. When he came out to the car all I could see was my 16year old friend and he looked utterly lost. As we drove, I was able to tell him how driving up that road again after so long brought back so many happy memories for me. How his mummy had been a part of all our lives in so many ways, quietly in the background helping our friendships grow stronger and create memories in her home that we will treasure forever. The little living room in Michael’s house was a regular meeting spot for our little group. Jennifer welcomed every one of us in with open arms and loved to hear us laugh and giggle at the many random things we all found so funny (and still do). Some of these nights consisted of Michael trying to educate me about sci fi movies ( he never did get me to understand the matrix), some were fuelled with drink and the music channels on in the background while we all laughed our heads off. Sometimes we would order pizza and after Jennifer went off to bed she would give a tap on the floor with her foot and Michael would disappear and say ‘girls I’m just going up to give mummy a wee bit of the pizza’. She never came in told us off for being so loud ( 4or 5 excitable teenagers in your living room would usually be enough to send most people mad ) she was just happy to see her son having a good time with his friends. Other times would be the standard pick Michael up on the way to the mill for pre drinks, he would shout bye to his mummy and come strutting out of the house in one of his most glamorous outfits (Enrique shirt you know which one I mean Michael 😂). It was Michaels house I went to after my very first date with my very first boyfriend. His mummy led me in and me and Michael sat in the living room and listened to Mariah Carey music as I gushed about my date. As his previous posts explained, my love life was a tad up and down and this was one of the many times he would listen to me pour my heart out to him, sometimes gushing and sometimes in tears. He never got bored (well if he did he certainly didn’t show it) and always knew how to cheer me up and make me laugh. When I picked Michael up in May I jut wanted to take his pain away. I knew I couldn’t. But what I could do with the rest of the ladies, was keep reminding him of all the happy times in his home with his mummy and remember that she knew every single day how much he loved her. Strong friendships will last a lifetime and no distance or time will ever change that. That’s how I feel about Michael and my group of friends. We may not see each other everyday, or talk everyday but when you see each other it is like no time has passed. The same can be said for love. The love we have for our friends, our families and in this particular case our mummies. No time or distance will change that love. Ever. The saying goes we arrive in the world with nothing and we leave with nothing. But that’s not true. The one thing we leave with is love and that is something that Jennifer had an abundance of. Hope you enjoyed the big girl take over!
Day 79: Big Girls Blog
Published
A Grievers Guide to the Galaxy 