Jill

Today is my "best friend's" birthday. She is 57 years old today. We grew up together, she lived next door to us until she was about 8, I think. Then she moved to North Hollywood, while our family stayed in Van Nuys. No worries--I visited at her house every other weekend, and she stayed at our house on the opposite weekends. When our family moved to Fresno when I was nine, I was sure I would never see Jill again. Our parents understood our closeness, however, and they made arrangements that would see us through 9 more years of friendship. I took the bus to N. Hollywood and spent 2-4 weeks at her house during the summer, and she took the bus up to Fresno spending 2-4 weeks at our home. I would never allow my 9 year old daughter to ride the bus unescorted in these days! I hated it when Pig and Poodle rode the bus to Utah together! (And Pig was over 21 at the time!)

Jill and I stayed in touch through my marriage and divorce, and her marriage and baby. Then, somehow, after 26 years, we lost touch. I have thought of her many times throughout the years. We had many happy hours and memories. She was the person who introduced me to Yogurt when no one else seemed to know what it was. Ditto tofu...could that be why I like to eat both?

Today, I wrote the date, and realized that it is Jill's birthday. I miss her and her tremendous sense of fun and adventure. How sad that I do not know where she is, or what happened to her parents, with whom I was also close.