A look back

Since I will have a birthday in a few days I have been looking back on some things. The thought of turning 42 makes me want to puke, but I don't feel 42 so I guess thats a good thing.

I want to tell you about a person that I shared my birthday with. Her name was Diane Crowder and I had the privilege of working with her. I can remember the first time I met Diane. I was sitting at my desk and she walked up to me. She sat on the edge of my desk and said. "Hey, can I ask you something" I said "sure". She then cocked her head and said..."Why do you walk funny". I was nearly floored that someone would come up to me and ask me that. I was glad she did it like that. I mean she had the nerve to ask me that, and not take an answer from anybody but the source. So I told her. Then I asked her why she wore a wig. She told me that a year earlier she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to have chemo and all her hair fell out. After that Diane and I became good friends. I can remember the time she got mad at me. I turned to say something to her and I see her wig flying through the air at me. She actually took the thing off and threw it at me. Now, me being me didn't throw it back at her. I picked it up and put it on.

Diane and I shared a coke and cupcake every morning. We were never allowed to have food at our desk, but Diane and I would do our best in hiding the evidence from our manager. I always thought our manager knew about it, but it was like a game for us.

Diane and I worked together for 10 years. She had several operations to remove the brain tumor that kept coming back. Once she thought she was over it, about 6 months later it would rear it's ugly head again.

They told Diane last year that with each operation the tumor would go further into her brain, and that they could no longer operate. That news was hard to take for Diane, she was a single mother trying to raise her daughter, and her daughter Whitney was her world.

Becky, Seth and I went to see Diane in June of last year. I asked her what I could bring her. All she wanted was French Vanilla Ice Cream. I bought her the best ice cream I could buy her. Diane was so weak that Becky had to fed Diane her ice cream that hot day in June. We visited for awhile and when we left I asked her what she wanted next time we visited. All she could say was Chocolate. I never got to take her the chocolate ice cream. Diane died the next week.

I wish I had a picture to show all of you what Diane looked like, but I don't. She was a great person and I am glad she passed through my life for just a little bit. Diane would have been 39 on May 19th. Happy Birthday Swirl Girl I miss you.