whats on my mind? My Sister/Friend GLYNS; Bear with me – Please, this is cathartic and therapeutic for ME, I have to get this out, and thankfully Glyns knew me well enough to know I would have to express my words of love and appreciation of her for the whole world to see, after all it’s one of the things she liked about me best. So, Thanks for your time and patience with this. These words I speak today, are words I spoke to her many times. WHOA – OK ---- "Breathe “Stef”, that’s what she called me, and when she said “Steffffff”, trust me - it was with an emphasis on the “F”, she said it with such authority and strength. Otherwise, she always called me Gee-Gee or ‘Her Cool Ole’Head”. I loved her children and grandchildren, and she also loved mine. Most importantly, her and her children loved my mommy and called her Nana just like family. Glyns and I often laughed when we recalled – the days gone by when Nana would watch her children dutifully, while Glyns and I “ran to the store”. She was there for me – I was there for her. She is my Sister/Friend, and we learned to have unconditional love for each other. I often shared stories with her about my Daddy, who passed from this world before I knew her. She grew to love and respect my Dad, and spoke of him as if she knew him, all that on the strength of my word. She told me pleasant stories about her long passed Grandmother, and I soon loved and respected a woman I never knew. A few months back, she said to me” Stefff, I’m going to see my Grandmom when I get there !”, when she said that, it warmed my heart, and I knew without a doubt, she really was at peace and ready. Today, When I first opened the OBIT and saw her beautiful face, – I literally had a meltdown here at work, here - the very same space she stood with me so many times before. But I’m good now… , I KNOW her Spirit is right here in this building, in this office-with me forever more. The impact of seeing her OBIT photo is that Glyns looks so sweet and innocent on the photo, which she was in her own special way, but truly the photo hides the strong-ness of her being. When I first met her- 15 years ago on a State job, She told me she was “a soldier” ?? Being an ole’ head, I didn’t fully get the concept of what she meant by “Soldider”, but she taught me and I soon learned – I’m a soldier too. She truly was a soldier… Boots on the ground and running- Always. Whether in the office or at play, she always took the challenge. She loved her children, her family and her friends. She touched a lot of lives, just by nature of who she was, she spoke her mind, and almost always, one never had to wonder what she was feeling or thinking, She’d let you know with that “keep it real” style of hers. I remember when she asked me to name her fifth born child and I gracefully provided the name JAZZLYN, the name I wanted to name my own daughter many years ago- but didn’t. She impressed me with her knowledge of the BIBLE, and she read her bible often. She had a strong FAITH in the almighty GOD. She taught me a lot and I taught her a lot. She really did trust my judgment, Glyns was strong-willed and sometimes we had our personal “clashes”. But, somehow, eventually, we always resolved our differences and “kept it moving”, as she would say. We shared so many deep- deep philosophical conversations, about life, and all it held. We had a common bond- she studied people naturally, I study people – naturally. She sometimes said I “trusted” people too much, I told her she “trusted” people not enough. She never stopped learning, and Glyns had a sincere desire to always learn and know more. Tana, Elaine, I know you can attest to all this!! On the job, She was a smart, jazzy, well-read, informative “Go-To” individual (which is why I could relate to her) and we “clicked” from day one - She was the only person I ever knew who truly loved Corporate America, but could transform from her Corporate/Professional demeanor to her Street-hood demeanor in zero flat time. She enjoyed wearing $400.00 business suits and pretty much - only Nine West on her feet, but she could easily switch to a Hoodie, Timberland boots, and a hat, and played that role too, she was extremely comfortable in both attires. Years later, after first meeting, both our jobs relocated to the brand new Commonwealth-Keystone Building, I was with the Historical Museum Commission- on the 2nd floor, she was with PennDOT on the 5th floor. It was the Stephanie and Glyns Show all day..Breaks and lunchtime - When you saw me, you saw her, when you saw her, you saw me. She literally visited my office at will, like she owned the darn place,- that was Glyns always presenting herself in a proud (and sometimes defiant)manner, It was almost odd to my supervisor and co-workers, how a non employee of the Historical Museum Commission visited our office ( through the back door entrance) whenever she decided to. This eventually led to the brand new office signs.. " Enter at Main Door-ONLY " and “Only Historical Museum Employees Beyond this Point” – those signs were for Glyns! Again, She is also the only person I know ( of which she was extremely proud) who successfully obtained a FEDERAL employment interview with the United States Department of Defense at the PENTAGON- Washington DC in 2009. I take pleasure in the idea that she liked that I was referred to as Gee Gee to my granddaughter, GOD Granddaughter and the little ones in my family, so that she saw it fitting, when her grandchildren came into the world, she was GG to them too. I told her often, I am Big Gee Gee, you are little GG. She was one of kind. No doubt. I will never-ever forget that SOLDIER.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:26:03 +0000
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