people in your neighbourhood

Two days ago I was driving home and thought to myself "ha! I've made it nearly two years without getting into the newspaper!"  An accomplishment,  sort of, for a community building type person, but also a giant check valve for me... I've been so wrapped up in building a house, I'm not participating in community, let alone building it. 

Today I received interview questions by email. Which made me laugh. 

Now, they aren't for the paper.. do we even have a paper anymore? But they are for a journalism project for someone that I know. 

G: Can you tell me about a person that is important to you in your life and why?

Me: My dear friend Amanda. I am blessed to have a tremendous circle of friends, but she showed up at just the right time in my life and in just the right ways.

 My mom passed away maybe 10 months before I met Manda, (the details are hazy) maybe it was a year? My long time friends just didn't know what to do with me and my seemingly unending grief. Manda sort of swooped in and let me grieve while we went on random adventures.  She gave me space to experience joy even while my heart was bleeding all over. 

G: What is a fond memory that sicks in your mind, and why?  

Me: Late summer for years, a small group of some of my favourite people gathered for a weekend of canning in the backyard.  It's exhausting work, it's hot and tiresome. We would make playlists and share them, stories were told, there were dance breaks, poems, a campfire, and more than a few tears. Someone would show up with food. At the end of it we would each walk away with boxes filled with jars of salsa and ketchup, tomato sauce, and chili sauce.