What a wonderful afternoon I spent with three of my best “forever friends” on Enchanted Island in Lake Spanaway.

 

I don’t know which of these photos of all of us together is best,

so I’m posting all of them! 

Which one is your favorite?

 

Pictured left to right: Jessie Richards, me, Judi Cooper, Lisa Twining

Lisa’s first time in a kayak, my second…

and Judi trusted us enough to take ’em for a spin!

 

We didn’t stay out long because we wanted to spend more of the time visiting with Jessie and Judi…

but the time we spent afloat was a blast anyway!

 

Lisa and I brought a Papa Murphy’s  Hawaiian pizza to bake.  Judi made a scrumptious  salad. Jessie brought sugar free Klondike sandwiches for dessert. YUMMY!

 

Upon arrival at Judi’s  — ten minutes or so before Jessie arrived — we greeted each other and then Judi  surprised me by saying that her 102 year old mother, Mary Jane, had agreed to see me for a few minutes.  (An immensely rare occasion these days!) Mary Jane lives next door to Judi, so we walked over to her abode.

 

I knew that this brief rendezvous with a marvelous mentor would very likely be the last time I see her, so I became teary-eyed as we parted. I thanked her for blessing my life for so many years and asked her permission to take a selfie with her. When she agreed, Judi offered to take the picture, so I positioned myself close to Mary Jane while Judi snapped a couple of pix. They turned out great, but I won’t share them publicly to preserve her right to privacy. I didn’t ask her permission to share them publicly, so I won’t. I did ask permission to share the above photos with you, and received yesses from everyone.

 

When everything was ready to eat, we moved it all to Judi’s patio outside and enjoyed the view, each other’s company and conversations, and the hummingbirds that congregated near Judi’s hummingbird feeder.

 

Jessie and Judi opened and enjoyed their birthday cards from Lisa and me. They were all funny cards, so they were shared verbally so everyone could enjoy them.

 

After that and some more light conversation, we went down to the beach so Lisa and I could get into the kayaks and spend a few minutes pretending to be seasoned voyagers. (Ahem and LOL!!!). This was Lisa’s first time in a kayak, and my second. We spent about ten minutes mid-lake-inlet getting the feel of the craft. Lisa decided she loved it as much as we do, so we want to do it again before I fly away to Costa Rica.

 

While we were afloat, Lisa asked me if I’d be getting a kayak in CR. I said, “I don’t know. There are crocodiles down there. But probably not everywhere, so I’ll be tempted, for sure!”

 

After we returned to shore, we went back to the outdoor patio and Judi brought out a deck of quote cards that she bought at the end of her 500-mile pilgrimage walk in Spain a decade or so ago. Each of us chose an initial card to read; they were surprisingly accurate for each of us.  (I wish I could remember what mine said, but it was “new adventure” related in some way.)

 

So, that led us to going through the entire deck so we could read all of the quotes.

 

Judi needed to be next door with her mother at four o’clock, so we parted company at about 3:30 with hugs and hopes to be able to do this again before I fly away.  All three have promised to visit me in Costa Rica, but it will be a long time, so I hope to wring as much time out of the remaining weeks I have hanging with them at their convenience. We always have a wonderful time.

 

It’s friends like these who make it hardest to say goodbye. But I know we’ll have even more quality time when they fly down to Costa Rica to visit with me, and that we will be able to communicate via video chat between now and then, and that does take some of the sting out of it. Not ALL of it, not ENOUGH of it, but SOME of it! They all want me to go so I will be safe. That’s the only reason. Isn’t it sad that I am leaving to be safe more than because of anemic finances, which are also a concern.

 

What a dystopian world we live in, when even native born American citizens are unsafe in their own country.

 

But marginalized people have always felt this way. I just never thought I’d end up being one of them.

 

I’ve been fighting for civil and equal rights for others all my life. To find myself in the same sorry situation is astonishing.

 

And I gotta tell you, it  stinks to high heaven!