Sunday Scribblings: Laughter, Learning, and a Friend Named Money

The topic of Sunday Scribblings this week is Money. It is only fitting that I deliver a tribute to my dear friend T. Money. A few years ago she gave me a birthday card with this quote on the front:
“You have a wonderful way of making people happy just by walking into a room” .

I could say the same for her. We met serving on a school district committee in the late ‘80’s in Kennewick. We hit it off immediately. At the time she was a primary teacher, but she had taught music. After I moved to middle school she joined me teaching language arts. She has since moved to the high school level.

We loved to learn together when we lived close. T. is very intelligent and had a way of making educational theory practical and teacher friendly. Together we read professional books, went to workshops, did fun road trips to conferences, and presented workshops together.

She has always wanted to make learning the best experience for her students. She is an inspiration to our profession in the way she reaches out to each student she works with whether she has ten students or a hundred. She is a talented performer, composer, writer, and crafter. Time spent together may include singing with the guitar, writing goofy poems, stamping, or creating a friend timeline that has all roads leading to a favorite hangout. We spent a month once in north Idaho participating in the Northwest Inland Writing Project. For both of us that experience was life changing. When we were stressed out I pulled out recipes and baked. T went for a walk to think. Not only did a night owl and morning person have to learn to adjust schedules, but we worked our tails off and through thinking and our own writing learned much about ourselves as teachers and friends.
T. has been there for me through the best of times and the worst of times. She helped me decide on adopting my dog Lucy. She loved my dogs like they were her own. She celebrated with me when I got my new job and moved away. She surprised me and traveled to my Dad’s funeral and was always ready to listen when my first marriage dissolved.

If I could pick one word about my friendship with T. it would be laughter. We love to laugh together. We are able to take a simple activity like bowling and turn it into a running gag. We were known to "get shushed" when we would explode in laughter. When you have a good friend you can say certain words and burst into laughter. Nobody else gets it but the two of you.

I wish we lived closer. Visits are the best though because we pick right up where we left off and the conversation and laughter begins again.

Thanks T. for years of laughter, learning, love, and friendship. I hope the best is yet to come.

You can find other Money Sunday Scribblings here.