Whodini probably said it best when they asked the question, "Friends...how many of us have them? Ones we can depend on?" If you came of age in the 80s, you can fill in the rest. Anyway, I have to say that I have some of the best friends in the world. Since my brother and I are 10 years apart, I look at the ladies in my life as being my sisters, and they all more than fit the bill. However, for today's purposes, I want to recognize two of them -- Angela and Janelle.
Angela and I met at the University of North Texas in 1994. We sang in the gospel choir together, and to be honest, I didn't really think we'd be friends. See, Angela is totally blind. While I've never been one to discriminate, I just didn't think that we'd ever hang out. All that changed in the summer of '94. She was hanging out with another friend of mine, and we got a chance to talk. This woman was smart, funny, and extremely cool. More importantly, she gave me a perspective on life I'd never have without her.
The one thing that I love about Angela is how she handles her disability. She wasn't born blind. She lost her sight at the tender age of 17. If she was a bitter shell of a person, no one would really blame her. But she's not like that at all. She actually makes better blind jokes than I do, and we both laugh at how she's received in some circles. This woman is also very accomplished. She earned a Bachelors degree from UNT and a masters from Texas Southern. She's currently employed by the state of Texas as a vocational rehab counselor, and she's an accomplished writer and motivational speaker. She's completed a play that's about to be in production, and she's a great blogger, too. Check her out at http://nuvisionforanuday.blogspot.com/.
So why is this Superwoman friends with lil' ol' me? I couldn't tell you. I personally think that God brought us together. Since Angela met when she was 20, she's never actually seen me. However, I think she's seen more of my soul than any of my other friends. We laugh and talk about everything under the sun. Do we always agree? Of course not! But we have a respect for each other and our friendship that allows us to get past those things.
Angela is one of my biggest cheerleaders. She must think I'm some kind of Superwoman, too. LOL She's been after me to write for years because she's always thought of me as a "great writer." See, when your best friend is blind, you have to be able to describe -- in detail -- what's going on. For all intent and purpose, you have to be that person's eyes to the world. It's a big responsibility, but one that I don't mind taking on for her. It makes me a better writer in the process, so everyone wins.
Janelle is a relatively new friend. We met in New York City in 2006. I won't go into the story of our initial meeting because it was absolutely crazy and would probably embarrass her. What I will say is that if I had let my first impression of her shape how I looked at her afterwards, I know we wouldn't be friends today.
"Pistol Bristol" is a New Yorker to her heart -- a real-life Sex and the City Girl -- but I don't hold it against her. LOL Once you get past that -- and her stunning beauty -- you'll find one of the sweetest people you could ever know. This girl is a ride-or-die type friend, the kind of person who'll always have your back. She's loyal to a fault, and she'll not only fight for you, but she'll fight with you if you get too far out of line. Even though she talked about me like a dog for even considering a move away from her fair city, she still took the time to make a photo album that chronicled our times together. That was one of the many things that brought tears to my eyes.
Like all of my friends, Janelle is accomplished, too. This Hampton University graduate is currently in the process of writing her first book, and she, too, is a blogger. Check her out at http://refugeofabutterfly.blogspot.com/. I'm so glad she's in my circle.
These two ladies are, in part, responsible for me getting back to my writing roots, and I thank you for that. I also thank you for your love and your friendship, and the joy you've brought to my life.
Angela and I met at the University of North Texas in 1994. We sang in the gospel choir together, and to be honest, I didn't really think we'd be friends. See, Angela is totally blind. While I've never been one to discriminate, I just didn't think that we'd ever hang out. All that changed in the summer of '94. She was hanging out with another friend of mine, and we got a chance to talk. This woman was smart, funny, and extremely cool. More importantly, she gave me a perspective on life I'd never have without her.
The one thing that I love about Angela is how she handles her disability. She wasn't born blind. She lost her sight at the tender age of 17. If she was a bitter shell of a person, no one would really blame her. But she's not like that at all. She actually makes better blind jokes than I do, and we both laugh at how she's received in some circles. This woman is also very accomplished. She earned a Bachelors degree from UNT and a masters from Texas Southern. She's currently employed by the state of Texas as a vocational rehab counselor, and she's an accomplished writer and motivational speaker. She's completed a play that's about to be in production, and she's a great blogger, too. Check her out at http://nuvisionforanuday.blogspot.com/.
So why is this Superwoman friends with lil' ol' me? I couldn't tell you. I personally think that God brought us together. Since Angela met when she was 20, she's never actually seen me. However, I think she's seen more of my soul than any of my other friends. We laugh and talk about everything under the sun. Do we always agree? Of course not! But we have a respect for each other and our friendship that allows us to get past those things.
Angela is one of my biggest cheerleaders. She must think I'm some kind of Superwoman, too. LOL She's been after me to write for years because she's always thought of me as a "great writer." See, when your best friend is blind, you have to be able to describe -- in detail -- what's going on. For all intent and purpose, you have to be that person's eyes to the world. It's a big responsibility, but one that I don't mind taking on for her. It makes me a better writer in the process, so everyone wins.
Janelle is a relatively new friend. We met in New York City in 2006. I won't go into the story of our initial meeting because it was absolutely crazy and would probably embarrass her. What I will say is that if I had let my first impression of her shape how I looked at her afterwards, I know we wouldn't be friends today.
"Pistol Bristol" is a New Yorker to her heart -- a real-life Sex and the City Girl -- but I don't hold it against her. LOL Once you get past that -- and her stunning beauty -- you'll find one of the sweetest people you could ever know. This girl is a ride-or-die type friend, the kind of person who'll always have your back. She's loyal to a fault, and she'll not only fight for you, but she'll fight with you if you get too far out of line. Even though she talked about me like a dog for even considering a move away from her fair city, she still took the time to make a photo album that chronicled our times together. That was one of the many things that brought tears to my eyes.
Like all of my friends, Janelle is accomplished, too. This Hampton University graduate is currently in the process of writing her first book, and she, too, is a blogger. Check her out at http://refugeofabutterfly.blogspot.com/. I'm so glad she's in my circle.
These two ladies are, in part, responsible for me getting back to my writing roots, and I thank you for that. I also thank you for your love and your friendship, and the joy you've brought to my life.
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