Bumrush Somebody You Love . . . Today!!!

We did it! We got her! VP was Bumrushed!

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!

When she got there, the hostess (who was also in on the ruse) grabbed two menus and walked us to our table. As we rounded the corner, the rest of our group (who I discreetly texted when she walked in) was standing ready with cameras to capture her expression when we yelled, SURPRISE!!!

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 anything. The traditional milestones already come with a built-in celebration – birthdays, marriage, baby, new house, etc.  But I would challenge you to celebrate other things as well. Celebrate the fact that she quit smoking, or that he lost weight, that she got a new job, celebrate to say thank you for all she’s done, or hell, celebrate cuz it’s a Tuesday. Anything is celebration worthy.  You might even what to celebrate to motivate.  Maybe your friend is in a rut and you get a few peeps together to remind her, in a fun way, of just how fabulous she really is. That might be just the thing he or she needs to go forward and tackle a challenge.
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.