My life with Betsy in a Paragraph (or 3)

My memories about Betsy go back almost 60 yrs when we bonded in daycamp when we were 11.We were naughty young girls- nothing serious- just rebelling against authority. Frequently I was blamed for our antics but we both knew that she was the leader and I was the follower. Her home was my second home when I was a teen. Went on summer vacations to the shore with the family. Ran away for 1 night together. Smoked our first cigarettes together (that we would 'borrow' from her mom). Got our 1st periods very close together (which was a big deal in the 60's because we were the late bloomers). Shared many young crushes on boys together, as tweens and teens. And the secrets we shared! We always sort of looked alike so we would tell everyone we were sisters. And we remained that for our lives together.

In our late teens and 20's, we hitchhiked across the country many times. Going to Grateful Dead concerts, visiting friends we knew. Music was huge in our lives. I remember a trip across the country where we drove for 3-4 days straight, only Jackson Browne 'The Pretender' was played.

And then marriage and babies. I sadly couldn't make it to her wedding but she and Jimmy came to mine. I remember when she called to tell me that she was pregnant with Jess. Oh, her joy!

What we had as soul sisters...always there, in some way, for each other. Not much time went between phone calls. I just assumed we would age gracefully together, still laughing about some of our antics from 50 yrs ago.

Being with her, at the end of her life- bearing witness to her dying body and sharing in the intense intimacy of caring for her, along with Jimmy, Jess and Cass was an absolute honor.

And now her 70th birthday passed and she was not here physically. I truly feel as though I am missing a limb. I am terribly sad. Bets, (or Betty, as I called her), I love you now and forevermore...