My Angel

Have you ever had someone special in your life you've the utmost admiration for, never ending respect, someone you can put on a pedestal? A person, who in your eyes can do no wrong. I am so lucky to to able to say yes to all these things.
When i was nearing the end of my high school years, i made friends with a girl named "Rose". Rose was a tiny girl with my kind of sense of humour, we immeditately hit it off and became best of friends, 25 years on i play "Auntie" to her 2 kids, as she and her husband do "A".
Rose, has an older sister and a younger brother. As teens, i never did get to spend too much time around her brother, i spent a little more time around Rose's sister. These 3 people were the closest family i had ever seen. Sisters who loved each other, and sisters who loved their brother. At the helm of this family was "Joy". Joy was these 3 siblings mother. Sadly Joy's husband had passed away a couple of years prior me forming a lifetime friendship with this family.
Rose and i lived a good ten minute car ride away from each other, i was forced to walk to her house as my mother was selective aout when she wanted to drive me or my brother anywhere, and of course asking my father was out of the question.
So, as myself and Rose formed a strong friendship, i spent numerous hours walking backwards and forwards from my house to hers. Joy, made me feel part of her family. Here was woman, struggling to bring 3 children up, paying a mortgage with a pension and only was it till my adult years did i realise how difficult this must have been for her. The 3 kids wanted for nothing.....they loved their mother to pieces, and she them. Two of the 3 went to University and gained degrees in their respective fields, and all 3 today have wonderful jobs and perfect families of their own.
I digress though. Over the years Rose and i formed a sisterly bond, and i grew to admire everything about her mother Joy. Here was a deeply religous woman, a practising Christian with a strong belief in god, who decided at 50 would go back and get her high school diploma, then at 60 she finished her degree in Theology, whilst all the time volunteering in nursing homes.....helping the elderly and dedicating her time to her 3 kids................and me! Joy treated me as one of her own. Offering me to stay for dinner, explaining it wasn't much........did i care?, hell no! I just wanted to be part of a family, a part of normality.
Joy was there for all my special occasions, wether it was in body or mind....she was there!
A number of years ago Joy turned 80, Rose and her famly threw a special party for Joy, i was so sad i couldn't attend living a number of States away, but at least i was able to send a special telegram to make up for it.
All of these years, i have kept in close contact with Joy, probably more so than Rose! So why this post? Today i recieved a birthday card from Joy, it was hand written and was filled with her love, best wishes and prayers. Of course mail from Joy would not be the same without the obligatory newspaper clippings, jokes,prayers and anecdotes that Joy knows takes my interest.
So to you my darling Joy, i thank you. You are my inspiration, one of gods real angels, i love you more than you ever can imagine, bless you.

till next time, Michelle.