I moved to BA schools in March of our 5th grade year, so had only a little over a couple of months before Summer. Returning to 6th grade, Mr. Hickey's class, in the Fall I met Judy and she was one of the "new girls," having moved from Ft. Smith, AR. Well we stuck like glue and became best friends for all of that year. If you saw one you saw the other pretty much. We just loved each other and had a lot of laughs together, as two little 11 year olds. In hind sight, somehow our dysfunctions matched. Summer came and I was once more holed up out in the sticks, 15 miles of dirt road from anywhere. Judy was a town girl, going to the swimming pool, meeting other town kids and getting all giggly about boys. When Fall came, and the 7th grade, she was hanging with her Summer friends and our commonalities had grown apart. Having 5 brothers myself, I couldn't quite understand, at that point, what the big deal was about boys. I, of course, was devastated we were not best friends anymore, but moved on as we all did. Judy and I reconnected in 1998 after my oldest brother died, but still we didn't maintain contact. I contacted her when she announced the terminal nature of her medical diagnosis on Facebook and went to see her. It was as if all those years just fell away, in some ways. The love of those two little 11 year old girls was there, as if no time had passed. It was humbling and wonderful to experience. I am very glad I got in touch with her for that little life lesson. Love is steadfast and endures all. I think it did her some good too. Judy had a great heart. I miss her not being in this plane of existence.
Janet Bray
I moved to BA schools in March of our 5th grade year, so had only a little over a couple of months before Summer. Returning to 6th grade, Mr. Hickey's class, in the Fall I met Judy and she was one of the "new girls," having moved from Ft. Smith, AR. Well we stuck like glue and became best friends for all of that year. If you saw one you saw the other pretty much. We just loved each other and had a lot of laughs together, as two little 11 year olds. In hind sight, somehow our dysfunctions matched. Summer came and I was once more holed up out in the sticks, 15 miles of dirt road from anywhere. Judy was a town girl, going to the swimming pool, meeting other town kids and getting all giggly about boys. When Fall came, and the 7th grade, she was hanging with her Summer friends and our commonalities had grown apart. Having 5 brothers myself, I couldn't quite understand, at that point, what the big deal was about boys. I, of course, was devastated we were not best friends anymore, but moved on as we all did. Judy and I reconnected in 1998 after my oldest brother died, but still we didn't maintain contact. I contacted her when she announced the terminal nature of her medical diagnosis on Facebook and went to see her. It was as if all those years just fell away, in some ways. The love of those two little 11 year old girls was there, as if no time had passed. It was humbling and wonderful to experience. I am very glad I got in touch with her for that little life lesson. Love is steadfast and endures all. I think it did her some good too. Judy had a great heart. I miss her not being in this plane of existence.