Banana Bread Day

At WhatFriendsDo.com we celebrate lots of "odd days" like Banana Bread Day. Oftentimes as I look ahead at the list of events I think, "gosh, why is anyone going to want to celebrate ____?" Banana Bread Day might be one of those days people aren't really sure they need or want to celebrate.

Banana Bread Day is a day that will allow me to do just what we're supposed to do with these crazy days: reach out to a friend who once reached out to me. Here's why:

When my son was 4 months old he was diagnosed with several serious food allergies. Eating out was hard, making meals at home was a challenge at first and enjoying a meal at a friend's home was always tricky. All of our friends were wonderful about making sure there were plenty of options that were "safe" for my son to eat, but one friend in particular always went out of her way to make sure there was something special. She had lots of fun recipes she would try. Many were for banana bread, which we often told my son was banana cake! Now whenever we need to make bread, muffins or banana cake we say "let's get Melissa's recipe" and we get started.

Today I will celebrate Banana Bread Day by reaching out to my friend Melissa to say "THANK YOU" for helping me and my family. I'm sure she'll say "of course, that's what friends do!"

Farewell to a Friend

Today we bid farewell to an amazing lady, Vicki Lynn Brittain.

Aside from running WhatFriendsDo.om along with my daughter Aimee, I have a “day job” and Vicki was a friend through work. We worked at the same company, and traveled together sometimes for special meetings, but we didn’t really interact too much in our day to day jobs. I have always considered Vicki a friend, not just a co-worker.

Vicki and I often went to lunch together. She loved Subway; she always got tuna and it always (ALWAYS) amazed me all the stuff she put on that sandwich!! And as anyone who knew Vicki would know, she always got Mountain Dew to drink. She even knew which Subways to avoid because they didn’t have Mountain Dew. Many of our lunch hours also involved trips to the craft store. Vicki was deeply involved with her daughters’ Girl Scout troops and with Sunday School class, and she was always looking for craft supplies and ideas. I’m a ‘crafter’ too, so we enjoyed that bond.

When Vicki was diagnosed with rectal cancer, everyone was shocked and saddened. But Vicki’s attitude was contagious. She was determined to fight; she had daughters she wanted to watch grow up. Vicki prayed; we all prayed. Vicki went through grueling treatments, but they worked, and the cancer was defeated. In May 2008 when the diagnosis was given that the cancer had returned in other parts of her body Vicki fought with the same determination. She was amazing. Like everything else in her life, she gave with all she had. Her body was tiny, but she was mighty.

The tributes today at Vicki’s funeral were lovely. Best friend Lori spoke of Vicki’s involvement with church and so many community projects. The picture Lori painted was exactly the Vicki I knew. Cousin Jo ‘Bob’ spoke next, and her words were amazing. She, too, filled the room with words that portrayed Vicki to a T. I do not know the name of the man from Vicki’s church who spoke, but I loved his words about Vicki winning the race. Indeed, she won the race in spite of losing the battle with cancer. Her life was full – full of love, faith, giving, and caring for others.

So many of us lost a dear and special friend, and she will be missed. I will do my best to encourage friends to stay in touch with Vicki’s family. That’s what friends do.

We started the WhatFriendsDo.com website as a result of the way we coordinated support and provided cheer for our dear friend Laura Crawley as she battled brain cancer. Laura lost that battle, but was surrounded by loving friends and family throughout that entire journey. I’m glad the site was helpful in gathering Vicki’s family and friends - from around the country, from other companies and communities, in all walks of Vicki’s life.

My prayer now is that Vicki’s beautiful daughters will always remember the love their mom had for them. I hope that someday soon they can erase the memories of the past year of mom being so sick, and fill their memories of the days when they had an active, smiling, laughing mom. Because of all the amazing things Vicki did in her life, being a mom was the dearest to her heart.

The following poem was written by a dear friend. The poem was written and given to Vicki just a few days before she died.

Vicki

In a world of constant motion
Where it is easy to get caught in the zone
Passing through without a thought of anything beyond our own

In this world of day and night where time is so fleeting
It takes a ray to shine upon the dusk
To open our hearts
To open our eyes

Rarely do we take the time to stop
To pause...
To think beyond our self

Occassionally an individual can carry such a ray
Of hope
Of light
To help us on our way

If we are blessed to cross our path with such a special soul
No one walks away the same
The heart is forever open
The mind is clear, the mission is sealed

To touch a life of someone you love is expected
To give a smile to a stranger is rare
To carry the burdens of others is uncommon
For you it was courageous to care

I found the secret with your gifts
Of giving with a smile
With you I learned the meaning of example

For in this world of constant motion
You gave me the pause...
You gave me the thought...
You give me the inspiration.

The greatest gift of all