Introducing....Jodie

It seems that my blog has been suffering lately because of the craziness that is our life. My awe inspiring friend Jodie puts me to shame with her very current blog, her busy life, and her well taken care of kids and husband. I don't know how she does it, but maybe I should dedicate a blog to her. She really is an amazing woman. A good example for me and for others.

I met Jodie during the uncertain days of college. I always thought I had it all together. I thought I knew what I was doing with my life. I knew that I was better prepared for life then some, because my parents had practiced a lot of tough love with me. While many of my friends were given a weekly allowance for expenses and entertainment, I had to work my tail off to pay my bills and have any hope of "fun money." I didn't have to pay for my tuition; I did have to buy my own books. I thought this was tough and maybe a little unfair. I didn't get to do all of the fun college things, I thought, because I had to work whenever I wasn't in class. Then I met Jodie. Jodie also worked as a tutor, but this was only one of her jobs. You see, she worked to pay for all of her school. ALL OF IT. This is no easy task at a private Christian university. I admired her from day one.

Then we were lucky (luck had nothing to do with it...God knows things) enough to have a class together. Yes, 8:00 am on Tuesday and Thursday morning we sat through an hour and a half of Grammar. Most of you may wonder, "How in the world is there enough content in Grammar to fill up a semesters worth of time?" Let me tell you, there is a lot to this old English language that many don't understand. But Jodie and I were the two students in our class (call us nerds if you must) that made it our business to learn it all and learn it all well.

This bond formed in Grammar and in the LEC (learning enrichment center) was a solid bond. We graduated from college right next to each other and have only looked back to laugh at ourselves then.

She and her husband were one of the few to come and visit Steve and I in Boston. Yes, they came to visit us in Boston when I was so lonely and so desperate for a friendly face. The weird thing about this visit is I don't remember much. This concerns me. I remember being so glad they were coming. I remember picking them up from the airport via subway...something new to them I think. I remember we had a nice warm Easter Sunday...then the blizzard of 1997 that dumped three feet of snow. Things start getting fuzzy after this. I have been told that I was hit in the head by a well aimed snowball thrown by her husband...but I don't even remember that. We took a trip to New York. Ran in the rain and got soaked in order to see the Statue of Liberty. Sadly, it was so cloudy and rainy that when we got to vantage point to see said Statue...she was covered in fog. We were all so poor that we brought our own lunch to eat in New York...that I remember.

Jodie is a teacher, a mother, a wife, a yearbook editor, and a friend. She does it all well. On top of all of these attributes, she loves God too!! She and her husband have the gift of hospitality and make everyone who visits feel like an honored guest. She is willing to help out whenever she is needed. Her writing is an encouragement to me, her character is an example to me. (She may be politically a little misguided, but one can't have it all right?)

She deals with life in such an incredible way. On top of it all, her life may be a little harder than most of us can understand. She is, on a daily basis, dealing with the fear, pain and uncertainty that comes along with having a brain tumor. If anyone has reason to curl up in a ball and turn bitter, she does. Instead she welcomes everyday and finds opportunities to enrich the lives of her students, her family and her friends. She is amazing and I'm proud to call her my friend.