My first stop was to stay with a dear friend who has just returned from her ex-pat life in Toronto to live in Wellesley. Although I understand how hard it is to say goodbye to a home in a foreign country I can't help but be pleased that she has moved, as I can now spend time with her on my return visits to MA! We spent hours sat around the kitchen table catching up on news that first morning, such a delight chatting with someone that you have history with! Melinda was one of the first people to welcome me to Massachusetts when we moved there in 1999, a "company wife" that was given the job of be-friending the newcomer. I remember clearly driving to her home, in Beverley at the time, and thinking I'll stay long enough to be polite. Well, we started chatting....and never stopped! She babysat my kids, taught Bex and Thom to bake cookies, shared her dogs, talked books and movies and became the most wonderful friend. It just goes to show that you must sample everything offered when you move, there may be something delightful on the table.
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| Melinda and me....Where's the squirrel! |
After my "Melinda-time," which included a visit to the Peabody Essex Museum to see the stunning Alexander Calder exhibit....and lots of laughter, I moved back "home" to Topsfield. Another dear friend (I am lucky enough to have many!) took me in as a semi-permanent house-guest...a true test of friendship! Mary is another gift from my life in Topsfield, a sister in every way but by birth. We met across the coffee machine in Proctor school not long after she started to work there following a stint at Masco as a writing tutor. When I introduced myself as Jackie Harding she responded with, "Not Thom Harding's mom...I love Thom's writing!" Well, of course I immediately warmed to this lady and we became firm friends, working and playing together, sometimes at the same time! Myself, Mary, Helen and Kathy, all Proctor employees, formed a strong bond of friendship and formed a loosely structured book club, as my kids called it, "The Drinking Club" and we came to know ourselves as The Fab Four. We have laughed together (a lot!!) experienced a transvestite cabaret show, walked on the beach together, supported many local bars and breweries, read the occasional book, supported each other through tough times, cried and mourned together....friends that will stay connected always. Sadly, Kathy is no longer with us but whenever I am in Topsfield the three of us visit her grave and drink a beer with her, something she would get the biggest kick out of.
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| Fabulous Mary & Helen |
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| Plum Island |
Proctor school filled my life with friends. Many who have stayed in touch and one has even braved the Atlantic to visit me in NL. (I'm hoping for more visits in the future!) Teachers and support staff I have worked with have become wonderful friends and I treasure my Proctor time for that very reason. This visit I didn't spend as much time visiting the school as in the past, I have started to feel more removed as old faces leave or retire and new faces appear. Of course there are still lots of old friends there and they made me feel very special when they all made the effort to meet at Mary's home for a small party, at a time of year that is crazy busy for everyone. If I visited for two months I would still not have enough time to spend with everyone who is important to me so this is the alternative, not perfect but an opportunity to touch base. I did get to spend some one-on-one time with a few friends which was valued greatly...I even went to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee at 7.30am to meet one teacher friend! That just shows you how important these friendships are to me!
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| The Proctor crowd |
The rest of my time in Topsfield was wonderful and I filled up my "tank" with all the wonderful meetings and experiences. The coffees, dinners, and lunches with friends, long chats, and walks on the beach will be taken out and re-examined in those lonely days all ex-pats experience occasionally. I wasn't lucky with the weather as it rained for most of my visit but that did mean I managed to do all my shopping, both groceries and Christmas gifts. I felt so at home driving around my "home town" listening to the Christmas channel, admiring all the Christmas decorations and colorful homes. Obviously my spirit is still wandering around Topsfield as several people hadn't realized I had left! I did enjoy the looks on the faces of some people that knew I had left, when they bumped into me in a store! That look of confusion...priceless.
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| Midas and Mary |
Of course I didn't just shop! Mary and I visited the Jamie Wyeth exhibition at the MFA in Boston. He is one of my favorite American artists so I was very excited and had to walk around twice just to check I had missed nothing! Mary, Helen and I took a very blustery walk on Plum Island beach, the sign of true friendship....accommodating a crazy friend! I had a wonderful day in Boston with Melinda which was filled with... giggles as the octogenarian docent muddled his way through the facts in the Nichols House museum, Beacon Hill, controlled mild hysteria as an extremely friendly squirrel ran up Melinda's leg in the Public Gardens (not once but twice!) and shared joy over the wonderful wreaths on the doors in Beacon Hill. When Melinda left to get her train I treated myself to a walk along Commonwealth Avenue, through the fairy light trees, up past Frog pond and along to Faneuil Hall, soaking up the feeling of Christmas, past and present.
My time in MA will be tucked away and treasured, as are all times spent with friends. I do miss those special people but I am reminded that they will always be there for me and I shall just look forward to the next round of laughter and fun to be had together...whether it be curled up by one of Jerry's famous fires, in our PJ's, watching cheesy TV programs or fending off tree rodents!
Jackie, it was so wonderful to catch up, as soon as we started chatting I was transported back to our roots at Proctor. I was reminded of so many shared memories, your British soldier's uniform during our Colonial Tea, the day you arrived with cardboard organizers to help me track my papers....or the day we shared our family struggles to be there for our kids. Thank you for reminding me of the importance of staying connected to those special people you meet once lifetime! Miss you, but feel rejuvenated by your visit.
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