Precious Things

I spent the bulk of today on a trip to visit, Marie. It began when I met my ex- after he attended church, and then we drove to Columbia, Maryland to meet our friend, L., after she attended her church, for lunch. From there the three of us drove up to Towson for our visit with Marie. Marie is my ex-'s grandmother, and though he ended our relationship in 2003, the end of that unofficial marriage did not end my friendship with Marie. Marie is a gem. Come spring, she'll enter her 91st year of life. (I know, she barely looks 70!) And every visit with her is a gift.

She once described me as her 4th grandson--and she already has 4!--I dare not imagine which one of them I replaced in her mind at that moment. Born in the same year as my father, and a year younger than my mother; I think of her more as a second mother than a grandmother. And such connections are so superfluous to the essence of our friendship.