The Mission
I called my homegirl VP and asked her to meet me for a drink. I told her I needed some career advice, I had a babysitter, and needed to get out. I suggested her favorite restaurant.
Truly Surprised! |
The Rationale
Now, it wasn’t her birthday or anything. We were surprising
her to celebrate a promotion of sorts, a true milestone. My girl VP is now principal of her own
school!
It was a small gathering of what we call our Eastside Girls. We all grew up on the “Eastside” and have
known each other for over 20 years (some of us 30 years – WOW). It was a much needed outing for us, as well as
the honoree. She told us about her new
job. We ate and “drank”, told
old stories, shared new ones, and laughed. I mean really laughed.
VP telling one of her "side-splitting" stories. |
But more than that, we were celebrating life. Recently we said goodbye to another of our
Sister Girls gone too soon, Dr. Tamara C. King. This girl was one of a kind, the life of the
party, a classy cut-up who put her effort into being a woman of
excellence and “Doing It Big”. And a
year ago, our own Eastside Girls crew was devastated by the loss of our dear
friend, Brandy D. Brown – a beautiful, wise and caring friend who made excellence
look easy. Both were well loved by many.
Both were very close to VP.
Both had packed services that were standing room only. Both had awesome eulogies and had many to
tell the stories of their accomplishments and their impact. I wonder if they knew just how much they were
loved, not just by those nearest and
dearest, but by those who they touched along the way. I wonder.
It got me to thinking about a celebration that I attended
some years ago at a friend’s church. There
they would choose someone from the congregation, secretly invite their family
and friends, and surprise them with a sort of “This Is Your Life” kind of
program. They would have people from
various stages of a person’s journey tell stories, share memories, and celebrate
some aspect of who they are. Nice.
The Call to Action
It’s time. It’s time to show the ones we love just how much they
mean to us. If you’re anything like me, it’s one of those things that you always "mean
to" do - but um . . .
I walk around with cards in my
purse for nearly every occasion that I "mean to" mail and I always have phone calls that I mean to make. I mean, sometimes I hang on to the cards for so long that they end up being a rumpled mess that I am too embarrassed to mail. So if you were waiting for a card or a call from me, charge it to my purse, not my heart. Or how about, I "mean to" call someone so long that I can't remember what I wanted to say and in a few cases, the numbers have changed!! Bump that, we gotta do better!
Flowers for Lady V! |
Celebrate when they least expect it. We celebrated on a Monday night. We knew it was the only night she had free. Unfortunately, we weren’t free. We all complained about how tired we were, but the look on her face made it all worth it! The surprise element is key, so you might have to get into your full “secret squirrel” mode. We talked to her sweetheart, created a GroupMe text message group so that we could talk details, and we even stretched the truth on our whereabouts to make sure that we got there before her --- cuz she’s a fast driver!
Celebrate when they most need it. The timing made it a necessity that we get together. Losing loved ones, changing jobs, or otherwise changing chapters in life can be overwhelming as you attempt to maintain EVERYTHING ELSE that’s going on in your world. We all get by with a "lil help from our friends" – I’m just saying, let’s just be more intentional about it.
Left to Right: Toya, Me, KFord, DainaDane, and VP. Cheers! |
So, come on y’all. Bumrush somebody you love. Jump out of the bushes on ‘em, ambush them in a parking lot, pick ‘em up from work and kidnap ‘em! Go above and beyond to tell them how much you love them, in this life. Celebrate the fullness of who they are, tell them how proud you are of them and how grateful you are just to know them. We could all use a lil bit of that.
Now that’s a Good Time!
This post is dedicated to the memory of Brandy D. Brown, Esq and Dr. Tamara C. King.