You Are my Sunshine

       

  As a kid we all heard the song, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are gray.” (You can thank me later for having that song stuck in your head.) When we meet people there are sometimes songs or phrases that come to mind that seem to fit their personality. When I first met Gayla “You are my Sunshine”, was the song that came to mind. She is a happy, sarcastic, beautiful woman who lights up every room she enters. She makes no bones about life, her friends and, most importantly, her family. One thing is for sure, Gayla loves life. For this post, I will refer to Gayla as simply G. That is how she signs all her posts and cards, with a big beautiful G. I find it a perfect fit for her.

          While working and living in Dallas about 18 years ago is when I met G through a mutual friend. They were co-workers. She was a divorcee that had kids from grown to their later teens. G always lit up the conversation, and the time we spent together was wonderful.

          As time went on that became close friends. We shared laughs, good times, and even a good cry. G knows how to cheer someone up; she is the best at it with her contagious smile and wicked sense of humor. It’s been a beautiful friendship.  She loves to drink socially and loves her family and friends.

          Recently I made a trip after work over to Hurst. You see, my good friend G just had double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery, and I needed to go check on her. This was the last step in her fight against breast cancer. She was just a few hours out of surgery and in her room for recovery. G was lucid, not foggy brained, all smiles and laughs. This woman had been cut up and put back together all in the same day. Holding her hand and seeing that beautiful smile made my heart full.

G is a fighter. She fought 2 rounds of treatment for her breast cancer. She feared the treatments as everyone does in her shoes. The procedure she had is typical for a lot of breast cancer patients. She is now home in recovery and getting back to her 100% - old self. While visiting her in the hospital we reminisced about how the two of us had been friends for 18 years, with all the fun times and people we’ve met.

         Then we talked about the future and what upcoming concerts her and her husband are going to attend. G and her husband love music, so they spend a lot of time finding good bands in local venues to spend their extra time. They even ride out on their Harley for a quick weekend road trip. Being the spontaneous and diverse woman she is, she can go from Harley attire to heels and makeup and, of course, always looking her best.

         Cancer treatment is brutal. It literally tears apart your body to kill the cancer cells and then you build it back up. The human body is a complex system which can handle more pains, breaks and strains than many other species. G came through it and has beaten that beast. She is cancer free!

This all gets me to thinking about a few things in life. I believe my life would still feel complete. There would not be anything missing.

          The older I get the more I stop myself from being so short with people and giving others the benefit of the doubt. I feel like there is a person out there that has similar fears, struggles, and heartbreaks that I had and still have I catch myself thinking more and more, “Maybe I should be the person I needed when I was younger”. You see G has always been that ‘fun’ person. The one you want to hangout, drink, and relax beside. She remembers everything, like a mother does, and will tell you straight up when you are in the wrong. She will kick your ass, even in public, if you do wrong. I think what I am saying is, we should all be more like Gayla – my G. We should all be true to ourselves, who we are now, who we want to be in the future, and who we will be proud of when older.

          When I stood in that hospital room and looked into those beautiful eyes, I saw all the years of laughter, tears and triumphs I had shared with G; from being in our best friend’s wedding, to helping me say goodbye to my mom, we have been by each other’s side for everything. We should all be that person for others in life. We should be someone’s sunshine.  I also realized I wanted 18 more years of it, and so did she, because that’s the kind of fighter she is and that’s what a fighter does.

          Gayla is a tough ole broad. She has much more life and a whole lot of fight left in her. I know a few things to be true; God knew from the beginning that women would be put through ten times the pain and suffering than any man. He made sure they could endure those pains and struggles. When he made Gayla though, he broke the mold. I have been blessed to have her as a friend and am so proud to add SURVIVOR to her list of names.

          If you have a person that means a lot to you - friend, relative or anyone close, do not hesitate to reach out. Send them a message. Pick up your phone and call them. Open up your stationary set and write them a letter or better yet stop by for a visit. This life we have been given is a blessing and tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Always put your best foot forward and try to have a smile on your face. Be someone’s sunshine. (You Are My Sunshine)

"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering." Friedrich Nietzsche