Daphne My sister Daphne was five years older than me, yet we were extremely close. Daphne was my protector for as long as I could remember. As children, she protected me from the harsh words of school bullies who didn’t like us because we stayed at school long enough to make lasting friendships. She defended me when Mom was frustrated by my inability to let her have the last word. She distracted me when my Mom’s second husband would get verbally and physically abusive, so even now, I can’t truly tap into those memories of fear. She consoled me when one of my Dad’s wives would mistreat us or completely ignore our existence while in their home. Daphne was what kept me safe and sane for the majority of my childhood. Standing just 5 feet 4 inches, Daphne was petite, but she was powerful. Her hands were the size of my entire face and when she hit you, she hit hard! She was the quiet type but if provoked, she was also the ask questions later type. I remember one...
The meaning of friend is a person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; one who supports, sympathizes with, and is trustworthy. Over the past few weeks I have really been thinking about my friendships and the types of friends that I have now and the type of friend that I am to others. After mom passed I am literally the only person living in the Washington D.C. area. I have no family other than my husband and children. So over the years I've created a small network of friends who I now call my family. But this extremely exclusive network has come with a cost. When I think back to my college years there were so many friendships that I didn't nurture. Instead I got lazy and I didn't put the time and effort into them. And now I hardly talk to many people who once had been very close and dear to me. In the past I would use the excuse that I had Maya as a way to make myself feel better but I think that I just got lazy. ...