GoodBye Marie…
My good friend Marie, who was my right hand woman at the TY EXPOs has died & I am crushed. We spoke not long ago, I sent her a message on Instagram, May 28th, 12:51pm - How’s it going? It shows as ‘seen’. I woke that day thinking of her.. I waited for a reply as she’s usually prompt but I guessed she was just busy. Now, tearful thinking it was the last message she saw from me. I am glad I included the face emoji surrounded by hearts as I loved her. Not one conversation ended, where Marie didn’t say to me: George… I love you.
The moment we met we hit it off & became instant friends, when I asked Marie if she wanted to be my helper at the TY EXPOs she gave a thrilled “YES!… are you sure?” My reply was an equally thrilled - “YES!” I learned from Marie that she had a difficult life, she had lost her sister to drugs (as so many families do) & started to slide down that path as well, she was strong though and had a stong mom who helped her but above all else she had her girls, whom she loved deeply. Marie shared many details that left me with a new understanding of addiction and perseverance. The more I knew about Marie (from Marie) the less I judged her & more I loved her, understanding that her past was exactly that, her past.
Rarely did a conversation end without her thanking me for helping her with her daughters, for a while they didn’t communicate & I understood why from my own experiences with family. I told her to ‘back off’ & prove to them who she was, who I knew. Fully Loveable & loving. We laughed so hard we almost peed ourselves countless times at the EXPOs, one of the funniest cartoons I ever did was for Marie; it was of her in a tiny bikini (possibly with tassels) on a strippers pole, I can’t find a copy, I'm sure it’s in this blog somewhere & she has the original.
We joked how other ‘Mega booths’ had all these scantily clad young woman with perky titties to promote product - so knowing “sex sells” I asked her, if she’d consider wearing something ‘sexier’ and showed her a G-string and tassles - we both cracked up (both being in our 50’s). I trusted her instantly, with my art, to run the booth & with my son & message about cannabis & what it represented to me - medicine for children. Marie did me proud. She told me it was one of the most enjoyable times in her journey & I agreed it was for me too - because she was with me. Our friendship remained & we communicated regular over the years. I remember another conversation we cried with joy as both our lives had changed for the better. She was going to visit this summer… fuck covid.
I can’t believe she’s gone.
I don’t know all the details as I deleted my FB, Storm informed me & I can’t reach out (yet) to her daughters (granddaughter) as I start to cry. One of our last conversations she mentioned she was excited to have a date to have her knee surgery, put off by covid she was happy to know it was going to be done, she liked to travel! Nothing kept Marie from enjoying life - she knew life can be difficult and chose to celebrate each day- especially now surrounded by her girls who she loved fiercely. Marie also lost her mom to covid, shortly after it started.
The surgery didn’t go well, which makes it all the more difficult. It was to be ‘just a knee surgery…’ I guess she didn’t remind me as I had suggested she wait as long as she could, it was just over year now I lost my other young friend Lauren, who also died in the hospital due to “complications” after surgery. My faith in hospitals is not at an all time high at the moment.
In the time I knew her, I watched her BLOSSOM! She had bought this cool dress for one of the last EXPOS with the back cut out and she absolutely rocked it! What she (we) lacked in perky titties she made up for in confidence & wisdom & always a good hardy laugh. Marie was a gift from God sent to help me countless ways - not just with the EXPO & became one of my best friends & closest confidants. I miss her & always will….
Fortunately the memories I have of us - had me cry giggling in bed the other night, grateful for the gift of our friendship. I decided today, knowing Marie- she would tell me ‘she loved me & to PAINT’, she was also one of my biggest fans. I drew a kermit (doesn’t take much thought) playing his banjo, with a cloud in the sky shaped like LOVE - for Marie. Painting & reminiscing today. Praying too.
Good bye Marie, my life was better because you were in it.
Love
Georgia
My good friend Marie, who was my right hand woman at the TY EXPOs has died & I am crushed. We spoke not long ago, I sent her a message on Instagram, May 28th, 12:51pm - How’s it going? It shows as ‘seen’. I woke that day thinking of her.. I waited for a reply as she’s usually prompt but I guessed she was just busy. Now, tearful thinking it was the last message she saw from me. I am glad I included the face emoji surrounded by hearts as I loved her. Not one conversation ended, where Marie didn’t say to me: George… I love you.
The moment we met we hit it off & became instant friends, when I asked Marie if she wanted to be my helper at the TY EXPOs she gave a thrilled “YES!… are you sure?” My reply was an equally thrilled - “YES!” I learned from Marie that she had a difficult life, she had lost her sister to drugs (as so many families do) & started to slide down that path as well, she was strong though and had a stong mom who helped her but above all else she had her girls, whom she loved deeply. Marie shared many details that left me with a new understanding of addiction and perseverance. The more I knew about Marie (from Marie) the less I judged her & more I loved her, understanding that her past was exactly that, her past.
Rarely did a conversation end without her thanking me for helping her with her daughters, for a while they didn’t communicate & I understood why from my own experiences with family. I told her to ‘back off’ & prove to them who she was, who I knew. Fully Loveable & loving. We laughed so hard we almost peed ourselves countless times at the EXPOs, one of the funniest cartoons I ever did was for Marie; it was of her in a tiny bikini (possibly with tassels) on a strippers pole, I can’t find a copy, I'm sure it’s in this blog somewhere & she has the original.
We joked how other ‘Mega booths’ had all these scantily clad young woman with perky titties to promote product - so knowing “sex sells” I asked her, if she’d consider wearing something ‘sexier’ and showed her a G-string and tassles - we both cracked up (both being in our 50’s). I trusted her instantly, with my art, to run the booth & with my son & message about cannabis & what it represented to me - medicine for children. Marie did me proud. She told me it was one of the most enjoyable times in her journey & I agreed it was for me too - because she was with me. Our friendship remained & we communicated regular over the years. I remember another conversation we cried with joy as both our lives had changed for the better. She was going to visit this summer… fuck covid.
I can’t believe she’s gone.
I don’t know all the details as I deleted my FB, Storm informed me & I can’t reach out (yet) to her daughters (granddaughter) as I start to cry. One of our last conversations she mentioned she was excited to have a date to have her knee surgery, put off by covid she was happy to know it was going to be done, she liked to travel! Nothing kept Marie from enjoying life - she knew life can be difficult and chose to celebrate each day- especially now surrounded by her girls who she loved fiercely. Marie also lost her mom to covid, shortly after it started.
The surgery didn’t go well, which makes it all the more difficult. It was to be ‘just a knee surgery…’ I guess she didn’t remind me as I had suggested she wait as long as she could, it was just over year now I lost my other young friend Lauren, who also died in the hospital due to “complications” after surgery. My faith in hospitals is not at an all time high at the moment.
In the time I knew her, I watched her BLOSSOM! She had bought this cool dress for one of the last EXPOS with the back cut out and she absolutely rocked it! What she (we) lacked in perky titties she made up for in confidence & wisdom & always a good hardy laugh. Marie was a gift from God sent to help me countless ways - not just with the EXPO & became one of my best friends & closest confidants. I miss her & always will….
Fortunately the memories I have of us - had me cry giggling in bed the other night, grateful for the gift of our friendship. I decided today, knowing Marie- she would tell me ‘she loved me & to PAINT’, she was also one of my biggest fans. I drew a kermit (doesn’t take much thought) playing his banjo, with a cloud in the sky shaped like LOVE - for Marie. Painting & reminiscing today. Praying too.
Good bye Marie, my life was better because you were in it.
Love
Georgia
