so after posting yesterday about jane, i realized i have a village (or maybe closer to a metropolis) of strong, incredible women who surround me. i also read this incredible article about introducing people at parties using their qualities rather than their job titles. so of course, inspiration has come. so from now until christmas i am going to write about an incredible woman in my life. and just as when i did my months of gratitude, they are in no particular order, except i’m saving the best for last – my mom.
sooo…today’s post is about suzanne or sunshine. and that is what she truly is – sunshine. her smile and her positivity even in the darkest moments light the way for me and others. we haven’t been friends for very long but just like jane, i remember the moment we actually became friends. it was snowstorm and i was bored. kate said that we should all bake at suzanne’s and even though i didn’t really know either of them very well, i needed some human contact. so i bundled up and walked to suzanne’s – walking to suzanne’s is easy, except for the quarter mile up hill walk to her house. and then it was just suzanne and i at her house together for awhile until kate arrived. we chatted about food and baking and her wonderful kitchen, she fed me and i chatted with her husband about his travels. and just like that, we were friends.
as time as progressed, suzanne and i have cried together, laughed so hard i almost peed in my pants, i’ve fallen off my bike, we’ve run, we’ve swam, we’ve raced, we’ve eaten, we’ve cooked and shared more memories than i can even count (or remember, so does that mean they’re not really memories?) she’s an amazing woman who thinks about everyone else before herself, sometimes to a fault which i get mad at her about. she is lovely and kind to all. she can bake and cook like a mean mother-effer – she’s one of the few people i trust to cook and bake for me and it is ALWAYS delicious. she is so brave to do scary scary things even when she doesn’t really want to. she is an awesome mother who cares for her son and communicates and wants to be a part of his life even when he’s being a teenager. she is a great wife who continues to work on her marriage even when i think (being an outsider) that it’s a pretty incredible one. she is one of my biggest supporters. she listens to all of my insignificant issues and over-dramatized problems. she reminds me to calm down and enjoy all the small things and to let go of the silly things i hold on to.
not coincidentally at all, her and jane have quite a friendship. between the two of them, with their confidence and support i’m pretty sure i can do anything (i can’t, but they make me feel i can).
suzie sunshine, you are truly one of a kind and i love you.
lizzie fortin 