Monday, May 09, 2005
Of personal heroes
Once upon a time in the city of Glen Cove, there were two girls who became friends. One girl spoke no English, brought strange rice balls for lunch, and didn't quite fit in. The other girl lived with her grandmother and a poodle named Scarlet, and had fun toys like Nintendo and Barbies at her house but had no one particular playmate.
Cortney has a much better recollection of how we met and what we did as kids (i.e. - finding Indian arrow heads in forest preserves, putting bras on Barbies) - but she forgives me for my forgetfulness. Afterall, we stayed connected for 14 years without physically seeing each other.
Mom, Scarlet, Grandma, Cortney, and me - 1989
It's incredible that we were able to stay connected all these years. But what is more incredible is learning about each other's lives - we have led such contrasting lives. She remained in Glen Cove all these years. I relocated 12 times in my life, an average of 2 years per new location. She lives in a quiet town with the claim to fame being Ashanti. I'm a suburbia girl who likes the citylife and occasional travel.
Cortney and me - 2005
To tell you the absolute truth, Cortney is my personal hero. A person who is as strong and kind-hearted as her is rare in this world. She may not realize how much of an impact she has made on me - not only from my youth but in the way she has lived, survived, and continues to pursue happiness.
Cortney was raised by her grandmother because her mother was very ill. Emotional maturity is something that was instilled in her while very young. She was 2 blocks away from the WTC on 9/11. To this day, she has difficulty going into New York City. She used to ride horses competitively, but suffered a neck and spinal cord injury from falling off. She is slowly back to riding horses but will never ride competitively again. She also made a decision to live separately from her family members, who have not always been kind to her.
However, it is not her suffering that makes her great. She survived each of the hardships and has now grasped a life that she can be happy with. And she keeps on going. When we met, we shared each other's dreams. She said she wanted to create a happy family. By all means, it is no simple dream, but she will make it happen. I also know that it is what she wanted the most.
Our home in Glen Cove - still looks the same.
Cortney and Grandma embraced my family from the start. We drove countless times between our houses to play until dark. It did not matter that we were culturally quirky or that I didn't really understand the language. All we cared about is that those days would never end.
Each time my family moved, I could sense our bond thinning. I guess I was wrong. When we met, it was as if we knew each other all along.
We can't go back because time changes things. But we can go forward together.
Cortney has a much better recollection of how we met and what we did as kids (i.e. - finding Indian arrow heads in forest preserves, putting bras on Barbies) - but she forgives me for my forgetfulness. Afterall, we stayed connected for 14 years without physically seeing each other.
Mom, Scarlet, Grandma, Cortney, and me - 1989
It's incredible that we were able to stay connected all these years. But what is more incredible is learning about each other's lives - we have led such contrasting lives. She remained in Glen Cove all these years. I relocated 12 times in my life, an average of 2 years per new location. She lives in a quiet town with the claim to fame being Ashanti. I'm a suburbia girl who likes the citylife and occasional travel.
Cortney and me - 2005
To tell you the absolute truth, Cortney is my personal hero. A person who is as strong and kind-hearted as her is rare in this world. She may not realize how much of an impact she has made on me - not only from my youth but in the way she has lived, survived, and continues to pursue happiness.
Cortney was raised by her grandmother because her mother was very ill. Emotional maturity is something that was instilled in her while very young. She was 2 blocks away from the WTC on 9/11. To this day, she has difficulty going into New York City. She used to ride horses competitively, but suffered a neck and spinal cord injury from falling off. She is slowly back to riding horses but will never ride competitively again. She also made a decision to live separately from her family members, who have not always been kind to her.
However, it is not her suffering that makes her great. She survived each of the hardships and has now grasped a life that she can be happy with. And she keeps on going. When we met, we shared each other's dreams. She said she wanted to create a happy family. By all means, it is no simple dream, but she will make it happen. I also know that it is what she wanted the most.
Our home in Glen Cove - still looks the same.
Cortney and Grandma embraced my family from the start. We drove countless times between our houses to play until dark. It did not matter that we were culturally quirky or that I didn't really understand the language. All we cared about is that those days would never end.
Each time my family moved, I could sense our bond thinning. I guess I was wrong. When we met, it was as if we knew each other all along.
We can't go back because time changes things. But we can go forward together.
// posted by sakit @ 1:12 AM 
