Touched BY and ANGEL
I first met my friend Nora, when we were in the first grade. We went to the same school and we connected with each other in the first grade. I think we were the only ones who didn't know anyone in the class so we became fast friends. We did almost everything together from the first grade to the 8th grade we were inseparable. And what made it even better was the facet that we had he same birthday. Everyone would always ask who was older, like we were twins or something, and I never knew exactly what time I was born and my mom didn't remember either so we would just say that she was. Years later when I had to have my birth certificate for something else I did notice my time of birth and we were right she was older. I was born in the evening or night and she was born in the morning so it gave me a little chuckle when I finally knew what time I was born. By the sixth grade we had made another friend, Nadine. Nadine was new and came to our school and Nora and I immediately made friends with her so two became three on the playground. Nadine lived right across the street from school so it made it easier when we got to high school to go off campus for lunch to her house. We would all bring our brown bag lunches from home and the one day we got to go off campus for lunch we would walk across the street to her house and eat lunch and share with each other.
Around the third year of our friendship my family moved to the same street that Nora's family lived on. This street, Franklin Street was a pretty long street so we lived at one end and she lived at the other. I would ride my bike to her house most of the time and we would eat our after school snacks together made by her grandfather who visited them from Spain. He eventually came to live with them after a while. Her grandfather made the best soups in the world. I loved when he gave us soup or tortialls for our snacks which was more like a meal. Nora had an older sister and I had a younger sister. So, we both had sisters that drove us crazy at times. When we moved we all walked to school together and came home together. I loved walking to and from school with her. When she was sick then my dad would walk with us. She loved to draw and I loved to pretend that I knew how to draw as well as her. I didn't compare to her talent but she never said anything bad about my drawings that looked like maybe a five year old drew them sometimes. She always found something good to say about them. We even drew on the sidewalk with rocks all the time in front of her house or mine. She was the best artist that I knew and she wanted to be an artist when we talked about what we wanted to be. I think that she would have made a great art teacher for kids. Nadine was pretty talented too. I was the odd ball. But, Nadine, always had something good to say to me too. We were like the 3 stoodges but in a good way.
We all went to the high school which was across the street from the elementry school we all went to. It was then that everything had changed. We were still friends but not as close as we were in the lower grades. I had made a new friend and Nora made new friends with the "smart" kids. But, we still talked and hung out sometimes. I wish that we had stayed closer. But sometimes things change and people move on and grow. I think that is what happened to us.
The year after we graduated from high school my sister came home from school and told me some horrible news. She said that they announced on the loud speaker at school that Nora had died. I couldn't believe it and had my sister repeat it twice. I was in shock. One of my very best friends couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be. Back then there was no social media so I couldn't turn to facebook to see if it was true so I called my friends and asked if they had heard the news and each of them had. I cried all night long. I still couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe the violent way she died either. I also couldn't believe that her life had changed so much from high school in such a short period of time. But, sometimes stuff just happens that you find yourself in the middle of. When I went to her funeral about a week or so later I looked at her in the casket and thought that she should not be here. She should be sharing her artistic talents. She had too much life to live. I thought of all the good times we had together and how much I truly loved her but I never got the chance to tell her. I was mad at myself for never telling her how much I appreciated her and loved her and our friendship.
The night after her funeral I was home in my bed trying to sleep but really couldn't and by the time I finally fell asleep a blanket of peace came over me. An angel came to me that night, an angel of peace and told me that Nora was okay and that she knew how much I loved and cared about her. I don't know if it was all a dream or just something that I needed to know that night but whatever the case I am glad that it happened. And sometimes, like today, I can just feel her around me. I can feel her spirit. I love days like this. I love feeling her loving spirit and I always feel like I have been touched by an angel. It is a wonderful feeling.
Around the third year of our friendship my family moved to the same street that Nora's family lived on. This street, Franklin Street was a pretty long street so we lived at one end and she lived at the other. I would ride my bike to her house most of the time and we would eat our after school snacks together made by her grandfather who visited them from Spain. He eventually came to live with them after a while. Her grandfather made the best soups in the world. I loved when he gave us soup or tortialls for our snacks which was more like a meal. Nora had an older sister and I had a younger sister. So, we both had sisters that drove us crazy at times. When we moved we all walked to school together and came home together. I loved walking to and from school with her. When she was sick then my dad would walk with us. She loved to draw and I loved to pretend that I knew how to draw as well as her. I didn't compare to her talent but she never said anything bad about my drawings that looked like maybe a five year old drew them sometimes. She always found something good to say about them. We even drew on the sidewalk with rocks all the time in front of her house or mine. She was the best artist that I knew and she wanted to be an artist when we talked about what we wanted to be. I think that she would have made a great art teacher for kids. Nadine was pretty talented too. I was the odd ball. But, Nadine, always had something good to say to me too. We were like the 3 stoodges but in a good way.
We all went to the high school which was across the street from the elementry school we all went to. It was then that everything had changed. We were still friends but not as close as we were in the lower grades. I had made a new friend and Nora made new friends with the "smart" kids. But, we still talked and hung out sometimes. I wish that we had stayed closer. But sometimes things change and people move on and grow. I think that is what happened to us.
The year after we graduated from high school my sister came home from school and told me some horrible news. She said that they announced on the loud speaker at school that Nora had died. I couldn't believe it and had my sister repeat it twice. I was in shock. One of my very best friends couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be. Back then there was no social media so I couldn't turn to facebook to see if it was true so I called my friends and asked if they had heard the news and each of them had. I cried all night long. I still couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe the violent way she died either. I also couldn't believe that her life had changed so much from high school in such a short period of time. But, sometimes stuff just happens that you find yourself in the middle of. When I went to her funeral about a week or so later I looked at her in the casket and thought that she should not be here. She should be sharing her artistic talents. She had too much life to live. I thought of all the good times we had together and how much I truly loved her but I never got the chance to tell her. I was mad at myself for never telling her how much I appreciated her and loved her and our friendship.
The night after her funeral I was home in my bed trying to sleep but really couldn't and by the time I finally fell asleep a blanket of peace came over me. An angel came to me that night, an angel of peace and told me that Nora was okay and that she knew how much I loved and cared about her. I don't know if it was all a dream or just something that I needed to know that night but whatever the case I am glad that it happened. And sometimes, like today, I can just feel her around me. I can feel her spirit. I love days like this. I love feeling her loving spirit and I always feel like I have been touched by an angel. It is a wonderful feeling.
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