The Goddess of All Things Babely

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, I decided to dedicate this blog to someone very special in my life.
She’s not my mother.
But, she is a mother.

My mother, Ruth, died in 1992.
And, I miss her every day.
A few years after she died, I began to send Mother’s Day cards to all my girlfriends, even those who weren’t mothers.
It just seemed like the right thing to do, even though it was a bit, well, different than the norm.
But then again "different than the norm" is my middle name. :-)

Anyway, I was thinking about Mother’s Day a lot this year.
Well, who can’t without all the advertising?
Last chance to give iPod for Mother's Day.
Book your dinner reservations now for Mother’s Day.
Show Mom how much you care by sending a lovely Mother’s Day bouquet.
Six Days left before Mother's Day Free Shipping Offer!
You know, I think most Mom’s would like to see this sign:
Dad, take the family out for the day and leave Mom home alone with the TV remote and a bottle of champagne!

Anyway, this Mother’s Day, I was thinking about the woman in my life who I admire and love the most.
I have known her now for 24 years give or take a few months.
She is my best girlfriend, a super Mom, and a wonderful wife.
She is compassionate, beautiful, thoughtful, lovely, intelligent, giving, funny, and pretty much everything else.
Her name is Suze.

Err, here we are in 1986.



No, we didn’t dress like this in the 80s; this was a Halloween party, okay?
But, I’m sure we had dresses with shoulder pads, and you can see I have the ridiculous 80s perm!

Anyway, Suze is the woman I look up to and admire most in my life.
Well, technically, in the physical sense, I look down upon her.
Of course, being the Amazon I am, I pretty much look down on most my friends.
She is 5’ and maybe three inches.
She has to hem all her pants, and I have to buy "talls". :-)

Suze and I have been through a lot together.
Cruddy times, good times, and my favorite, champagne times!

Oh, here’s Suze’s husband, Skip.
This was before they were married.
Crazy kids!



I love Skip, too.
Actually, his real name is not Skip; it’s Furwood.
K, his REAL name is Arthur when it’s not Skip when it’s not Furwood.
My Mom loved Skip, and she began calling him Furwood when I first met him.
Yeah, I have no idea why and how she came up with that name, but she always said Skip was like a big teddy bear and she thought him a sweetheart.
And he is, well, most of the time, right Suze? :-)

I remember one Patriot’s Day (a holiday that only Massachusetts celebrates and on which the Boston Marathon is run) when we were all in Boston.
We weren’t running the marathon, oh, heavens no!
Our gang of friends just used the holiday as an excuse to go into Boston and drink way too many Margaritas at Frog Lane.
Anyway, Suze and I were at a party at Skip’s sister’s place, and it was there that Suze confessed to me that she liked Skip.
Of course, I had had the above mentioned “too many Margaritas” and said in a not too quiet voice in the middle of the party, “You’ve got the hots for Skip?!”
Um, I was never what you call a quiet talker anyway.
Anyway, Skip, while I adore you, this blog is not about you, k?
So, back to Suze!

I remember in 1986 saying to her, “Gawd, I’d really like to go somewhere. Maybe Hawaii!”
And she said, “I’m in!”
And off we went. We had a great time.
Um, I fell on the rocks, skinned my knee, and Suze kept me from passing out and falling into the Pacific Ocean.
Then, I saw a barracuda when swimming, and I told her.
To THIS DAY, she still doesn’t believe me.
Did too, did too, Suze!
True Confession: I went to the aquarium with Iz during the past school vacation, and I saw a barracuda in the big tank, um, only it wasn’t a barracuda.
It was some other fish, because when this big brown ugly fish swam by what I thought was the barracuda, the woman from the aquarium said, “And, there’s the barracuda!” when pointing to the big brown ugly fish.
Um, so Suze, I didn’t see a barracuda.
After 22 years, you were right, k? :-)

Anyway, one of the reasons (there are MANY) why I love being friends with Suze is that even with all the stupid mistakes I’ve made (k, let me be positive and call them “learning experiences” instead), she’s NEVER said, “Boy, that was stupid, Jean”.
No matter what, she’s always been there supportive and true.
The best advice that Suze ever gave me was “Always go with your gut”, and she was always right about that.
Whenever I’ve not gone with my gut, I’ve been sorry.
When I go quiet, she hounds me via emails, because she knows when I go “quiet”, there’s something wrong.
I guess in some ways, friends already see the person you long to be in your heart.
And Suze has always seen me and loved me exactly for who I am.
Suze, you are a thoughtful, sincere, absolutely wonderful friend, and you mean more to me than you’ll ever know.

So, this blog is for you.
Oh, and let me make it official...

I, the Goddess of All Things Lovely deem you, Suze, The Goddess of All Things Babely by the power vested in me by the Goddess Society of Massachusetts – our motto being “In Shoes We Trust”.

Thanks for being you, Suze.
You are a beautiful soul, and on this Mother’s Day, I wanted you to know that you are the woman I admire most for all your wonderful qualities.
I love you, BabelySuze.