Spiritual Friends

The earliest recollections of my childhood come to me in images — helping other little girls to care for themselves. Three distinct memories come to mind of wanting to help others — the tall, shoestring blond, gangly girl, who spoke very loud as if she had a frog in her throat and out of turn, in class, where she was constantly teased by other kids. There was the diminutive, cute Hispanic girl I met in Miami Beach while on vacation who could not speak understandable English and I tried to help by showing her how to speak the names of paper money. In addition, the poor farmer’s daughter who wore tattered clothing, her greasy, blond hair stuck to her scalp from infrequent washings. I wanted to let all three of them know that I cared, it did not matter that they were different — so was I. Continue reading →