Friends
garden row 5

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;
he who finds one finds a treasure.
A faithful friend is beyond price;
no sum can balance his worth.
A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy,
such as he who fears God finds.
-Sirach 6:14-16

Beth, Lisa & Yvette at Yvette's farewell dinner for Lisa in 1981
LISA, BETH AND ME      © 3 May 1981

It seems like only yesterday, we grew up together:
State Fairs, youth group and high school dances
were where we wanted to be
when the three of us were school pals,
Lisa, Beth and me.

Car Hops at the root beer stand; spending the night at Beth's;
wishing we were hippies
and that life could be care-free
when the three of us were close pals,
Lisa, Beth and me.

Yeah, Lisa, Beth and me--knew all the Beatle songs.
Stories of our high school days tell how we got along;
dances, concerts, parties and love
with Lisa, Beth and me.

When one of us found true love that we knew would last forever,
but faded and we had our cry,
accepted what was meant to be,
and the three of us were still pals,
Lisa, Beth and me.

The years flew by, graduation past, Beth and I were working gals.
Lisa continued education
so she could, a teacher be,
and the three of us were seldom-seen pals,
Lisa, Beth and me.

Yeah, Lisa, Beth and me--knew all the Beatle songs.
Stories from our high school days tell how we got along--
growing, caring, sharing and love
with Lisa, Beth and me.

A few years more gone by, Beth and Bobby have two boys.
Single again, I have a girl.
Lisa's a teacher, A-B-C!
At least we're still Christmas card pals,
Lisa, Beth and me.

Things have slowed down now--my life and Beth's are quiet.
But Lisa's spinning, just beginning
married life across the sea.
But of course we'll ALWAYS be pals,
Lisa, Beth and me.

Yeah, Lisa, Beth and me, still know the Beatle songs.
However great the distance, our hearts still beat as strong--
living, learning, letters and love
with Lisa, Beth and me.

Beth, Lisa & Yvette at the Albert Dock on the Mersey River, Liverpool
LISA, BETH and ME      © ;21 Jan 2000

It seems like only yesterday, we visited Lisa in 1991.
Old Lancashire, in the Borough of Wigan
Where Lisa lived in Winstanley
And the three of us were holiday pals
Lisa, Beth & me.

Beth and Lisa and their husbands; my daughter was with me
When we stood in front of the houses
Where the Fab Four lived as lads.
'Cause the three of us are Beatle fan pals
Lisa, Beth & me.

Yeah, Lisa, Beth and me - knew all the Beatle songs.
Stories of our Liverpool day tell how we got along;
Allerton, Woolton, Dingle, and Speke
With Lisa, Beth & me.

When Beth & Bobby visited Ireland, I went with Mo & Lisa
To London on the train, and another day in Chester.
When Beth returned from Ireland, we took a rainy day-trip to Wales
When the three of us were U.K. pals
Lisa, Beth & me.

The days flew by, two weeks went fast, lunches and pints consumed in pubs.
We crowded with weatherproofs, into the car for hours-long countryside jaunts.
To The Lake District & York, and all their haunts.
When the three of us were travellin' pals
Lisa, Beth & me.

Yeah, Lisa, Beth and me - knew all the Beatle songs.
Stories of our Lake District days tell how we got along;
Hawkshead, Windermere, Cockermouth & Grange
With Lisa, Beth & me.

A few more years went by, it was 1993.
Lisa & Phil came to my house and learned that Bobby was history.
A few years later, so was Phil.
But the three of us were still pals
Lisa, Beth & me.

Now things are changed for all of us by the end of '99.
Lisa's with Paul, I'm back with Mark and Beth's on her own
Except for Beth's Laura, her kids & mine are grown.
But of course we'll always be pals
Lisa, Beth & me.

Yeah, Lisa, Beth and me - still know all the Beatle songs.
However great the distance, our hearts still beat as strong;
From Westgate & The Hilltop, all the way to Appley Bridge
For Lisa, Beth & me.


Lisa showing off her Beatle memorabilia gifts I sent her for Christmas 2006. I purchased them from the Avon brochure! The are a Yellow Submarine tree ornament and a coffee mug.

These five girls were my dearest friends during my school days.
Lisa, Beth, Nikki, Rainey and I were Class of 1969 Ready HS, and Jan was 1970 West HS.

Lisa, Beth & Nikki - I met them in 1964 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help school in Grove City. When we were in high school, we all got jobs as car hops at the Grove City A&W Rootbeer place! We had some great times there!

Rainey & Jan - my two best childhood friends from Valleyview. Rainey and I went to St. Aloysius School and Jan went to Valleyview school. It seemed they both wanted to play with me, but not with each other! By the time we got to high school, Rainey and I had both moved away from Valleyview.
For Evelyn Justus, my 'second mom' since I was a teenager
LIKE AN ENGINE, DEAR EVELYN      © 27 July 1998

Like a finely tuned engine
she turned the wheels that moved the family.
From shopping for each child & grandchild's birthday
and for groceries in the pantry
to daily dinner when the farm work was done,
her precision was noticed by all.

Like the odor of clean, hot oil as the engine runs,
the smell of homemade bread, roast beef, and laundry soap
and the hum of her voice calling out to Dear Ones
told everyone that the engine was running smoothly;
that no one had to worry about the momentum,
or what direction in which the family was headed.

OH! Where's that hum? That sweet smell?
Like an engine that has stopped, she hums no sound.
Wheels are still moving, but how long can it coast?
What will happen without the engine to move it forward?
No one has ever had to think about that before. No one knows.
Except God. Maybe He needs a good engine.

I miss you already, Dear One!

photo: Jenny Thomas

ANGADANAN SHADOW
Where is she
whose shadow is looming long
as one at sunset?
She could not return
for this visit
but will, another time.
She is loved here-
deeply missed
and they long for her return.

As I stand here
shaded by her shadow
I hear her voice.
I hear her laughter;
even see her smile
and bright brown eyes.

She is loved here
and until she returns
her shadow will be looming long
as one at sunset.


My dear friend and co-worker, Anne has inspired me to write more than once. As a loud group of people passed by our office door, she was heard to ask "Who are those Macho People?" There is no hidden meaning here, just a phrase spun into rhyme, for this poem, and the one that follows.
MACHO PEOPLE?

"Who are those macho people?"
she asked as they strode by.
"Who is that that macho man?"
She queried as he rode by.

Macho people, macho man
Living in this macho land.

"Where are those macho people?"
She asked, 'cause they're not here.
Gone now is the macho man;
he seemed to disappear.

Macho people, macho man
Macho woman in our land.

Who were those macho people?
They're not where they were before.
Who was that macho man?
We don't see him anymore.


This one was also inspired by Anne, and contrasts the personalities of her and our boss at the time.

CHILL OUT
The secretary, in her panic
is typing memos, oh, so frantic!
The boss is not so energetic
tells her "Everything is copacetic!"

This one is about a priest whom I now count among my friends. On our first encounter, he had answered the rectory door when I knocked. When he answered, because of his youthful appearance and plaid flannel shirt, I had him pegged for a college student helping out at the rectory. As the poem tells, that was not the last time I was taken by surprise by his youthful mode of dress. ©
FATHER JIM

His youthfulness apparent
He answered the door.
A college student
I'd pegged him - no more.

I'd reckoned him parish
helper, at least.
To my astonish-
ment, he was the priest!

While privileged to assist
At Mass one Sunday
My face did enlist
a smirk, I daresay!

His demeanor akin
To downright devout
As mine should have been
There is no doubt.

There at the altar
He piously prayed.
My eyes to the floor
below him had strayed.

Beneath his vestments
plain to be seen --
Unexpected magnificence!
Sneakers and jeans!

This one was written for another priest/friend:

HUMOR, HUMILITY AND THE HOLY GHOST ©

Contageous laughter
Breaks the silence
Of an evening in
Jovial opulence.

Infectious humility
In a rampant out-break
Will arrest the proud
And make them quake!

The fire of the Spirit
Evoked from above
By a man of God
In a song of love.

Fr Joe brings us honesty,
Hope, and Christ in the Host
Through humor, humility
and the Holy Ghost!                3/3/99

This next item is not a poem, but a fantastic story I wrote when a former co-worker told me of his ambition to one day become the Pope. He rooted his hope in the ancient rules that did not require one to be a priest to become the Vicar of Rome. I don't have this piece dated, but I can tell you it was written right after the election of John Paul II! Current events at that time also focused much attention on several crashes involving DC-10 aircraft! Was it 1979?

OLD HIP, THE SOLAR POPE
Jerry had always considered himself to be the number-one fan of the pope. Jerry was also a great fan of the Bee Gees, so you know he was pretty hip, even for as old as he was, how ever old that was. Being hip, he knew that even though he was not a priest, or no longer single, he still had a chance at becoming Pope. He worked hard for the good of the Church. He packed up his wife, Ruthie, all his literature on Church Matters and Solar Energy, and took a DC-10 to Rome.
Jerry got along fine with everybody at the Vatican. The Cardinals found it rather odd, though, that Jerry was 'rooting' for the Pittsburgh Pirates rather that 'Fuzzy' Zoeller or Jack Nicklaus, stars of the sport most popular among American priests.
Now, very soon, there was to gather, a conclave, where all the Cardinals would vote on the next Holy Father. Jerry had much faith, and even more courage. He was sure he could win the election as successor to the Chair of Peter, and reign over the Vatican and The Church. He drew much of his courage from Pope John Paul II, who had been the first non-Italian Pontiff in over four hundred years. Jerry remembered that election with great fondness. It had been a long time ago.
Several days had passed, now, since the conclave has been sequestered for the mighty decision. Finally, there came the traditional puff of white smoke from the vatican chimney. The place was abuzz! Who is the new pope? Who is our new Holy Father? Who has been chosen the our Vicar of Christ? The news came. Jerry could hardly beleive it! His name was announced and he was to be Pope!
Only now, that his dream was realized, did the people of the world understand just how much courage Jerry did have! The first sign of that great courage, was in his chosen name, Old Hip the First. The greatest sign, though was the conversion of the vatican! Who'd have thought it so? The Vatican, and then all of Rome, and then all of Italy! Conversion to Solar Energy! Ruthie, who was a Vatican tour guide, brought home the news of the new nick-name she had heard that the people had bestowed upon the new pontiff: Old Hip, the Solar Pope!

I remember how much fun it was writing that piece, and how Jerry laughed when he read it!


This is for my friend "Rainey." We have been friends since childhood; before we went to school. On a foggy morning in 1982, Monica & I went with her to the All Ohio Balloon Rally, where this photo was taken.


BALLOON RALLY 1982      20 Sept 1982

The morning fog was so dense
We couldn't see the roadside fence.
So we 'inched' our way forth
To Union county to the north.
Forty-five on the freeway, cars seemed to creep--
Monica took to the back seat to sleep.

When we reached the county airport,
We waited in line--like good sports.
We parked the car in the field
And walked--traffic had to yeild--
To our point of observation
Where we stood with anticipation.

Barely seven A.M., folks all a-daze,
Seemed to stumble through the haze.
Awaiting the launch with "Mose" & "Rainey,"
We encountered Jozak, Bob & Marlayna.
The dawning sky, fighting sunlight,
Welcomed the colors bright
Of the first balloon to be inflated.
Everyone watched, infatuated.

Not long after the first was gassed
Other balloons 'sprung' up fast!
Following the launch of the first,
The sky became a colorburst!
Hot-air balloons dotted the sky;
How I wished I could fly!
As each was launched, the crowd cheered.
Tell ya what--I'll be back next year!



Can ya tell Rainey likes balloons? Beth and Lisa & me at Beth's eighteenth birthday party. I met Sue on my first real job after high school. We kept in touch for a long time, but I have lost track of her now. 1971Jan & Cindy (NO, not of the Brady Bunch!) dancing in our first apartment. That's me under that flying blonde hair, doin' The Monkey. My dear friend Jan Burger back in the late 1970s when we first met! This one is a bunch of friends at a party wearing hats off my hat tree! Rainey & me
Carrie Regan & Jan; Growing up in Valleyview, Carrie and her brother, Louie lived across the street from Jan & me and Rainey lived behind Carrie & Louie. My friend Dana and her daughter Aimee, as they looked when we were neighbors in the late 1970s. Jan & Cindy at my house next door to my folks' house in 1982.

Bert carving the roasted pig at one of the Justus Family's barn parties. Charlie is making sure its properly done!
The farm wagon - spread with food for a great barn party. These were great gatherings to share with my second family, and our friends. Charlie & Bob in the background, Charley at the wagon. I dated Charley in high school, and we were back together again in 1982!
Beth, her dad, Charlie - me and Charlie's sister, Margaret at the 1982 barn party. Cheers!
NOTE about Beth's dad: My "2nd dad," Monica's "other Grandpa" passed away from earthly life on February 16th, 2003, to be reunited with his beloved Evelyn.
This is my cousin Lu. She lived with me in the late 80s while she went to Ohio State University. She's very funny and talented, and I like to count her among my friends. We had some fun times together!
Beth & Yvette at the 25th year reunion for Our Lady of Perpetual Help grade school. Ours was the first graduating (eighth grade) class in 1965. My friend, Jenny Justus, Beth's sister.
Abby and Matt in the summer of 1997. They are my friends' Karen & Uly's kids. This photo was taken in their living room in Somerset NJ.
My "bestest" friend in the whole wide world, Anita. Here she is at work with coworkers, wearing propeller hats. They do what they can to keep things lighthearted! Every day I praise the Lord for a friend so true. Anita's husband Dave had a kidney transplant in Sept 1999. He's doing just great, thanks to his brother, the donor, and all of you who prayed! This is Lily and her mommie, Suz. Lily is Anita's granddaughter, and she knows me as "Oma Vettsie."

Here's another of Anita, taken in 1997. Here we are baking Christmas cookies that same year. I wrote this for Anita's birthday in 2000.

Pome fer a Aine Day

I duzn't care if you don't do 'em
I always say "Carpe Diem!"
Somethin' else I seez t'day...
Da callunder sez "Yer Birfday."

Here's my daughter, Monica with Anita on Anita's porch. Monica introduced me to Anita. In January 2005, Anita and I celebrated our 10th annual BURNS NIGHT, in celebration of Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Experimenting with tinned haggis, making our own, substituting various types of sausages to meatloaf, our 2006 "HAGGIS" will be a shepherd's pie! Our celbratory participants vary from year to year. This year, Anita's granddaughter carried in the haggis (the empty tin from a few years ago) on a sliver tray. My husband, Mark chose not to attend this year, and Anita penned this poem for him:

Ode to the Missing Dinner Guest

Markie, me boy; Markie, me lad
A finer meal ya never had

Taties'n'cabbage and meat in a loaf
Haggis on high and to it we did toast

Pie and black coffee for afterwards, too
The only thing missing from dinner was you!

Anita Marcum - January 2005
This is my cyber pal, Marty, of Scholes (Wigan) England, clowning around in Blackpool.
I wrote this as a reply to Marty 20 Dec 2002, when he reported one of his many medical checks:

Thanks for the update, Marty, dear
Hoping for good news & Christmas cheer

We are fine on this side of the Atlantic
Nothing's wrapped, I'm getting frantic

With Christmas only a few days away
Merry Christmas is all I have to say!

love & hugs,
Vettsie (in a poetic mood) Higgins
Me and, hopefully, the best friend I have ever had. Yvette & Mark 12 Nov 1999

Olga: She was a Friend

November 3, 2000

She never forgot a birthday
Though often hers went unremembered.
She always offered tea and cakes
To visitors January through December.

A news clipping in a card
She sent me through the mail
About a conversation days before;
Her memory never failed.

She could make me laugh
At stories she told time and again.
She could make me wish
Times hadn't been so hard back then.

I felt as though I knew her siblings and children,
Their husbands and their wives.
To hear her talk about them
Was to enter into their lives.

Ruth said "She was a friend."
And I say she said it best.
Whose friend wasn't she, who knew her
Was how I put it to rest.

I will always miss her
And the good times that we shared
In the warmth of "Olgie's" heart & home.
She was a friend who cared.


This is my Cyber Fiver friend, Jodi with Mike Smith, who was the organ & piano player in the Dave Clark Five. I met Jodi through the International Friends of The Dave Clark Five. We met in November 2000, and I saw her again in early 2002 at Ohio gatherings.
Jodi went to Spain and met up with some of the other Cyber Fivers there, for Mike Smith's ROCK ENGINE concert in June 2002.

Cyber-Fivers in Hicksville OH for MSRE concert March 2003: Bob, Jody, Mike, Kay, Audrey & Yvette.

A hug and a kiss from my teenage heart-throb. I gave him a photo of the first time I had met him in 1964. He remained a friend to all of his fans until his death in 2007. I miss you Mike.

This poem is for my friend Dick, who died suddenly in January 2005. He had a stroke while having surgery for kidney stones. Dick's joy was The Lord, and no matter what our conversations were about, it didn't take long before we were talking about the Lord! Dick was a flashy dresser, often looking as though he stepped right out of the 1930s - men just don't dress like that anymore! Dick dressed colorfully, to show his joy... even if he didn't feel like it. As his eulogist put it,

"Who Else would wear that yellow pin-stripe suit?"

He left the earth for Heaven's light,
Now, who will make the drab earth bright?
No one I know
Can make it so
Not all of us together, try as we might!

Mark's long-time buddy Ed, a.k.a. Uncle Oogly - June 2007.




My dear friend and former classmate, Beth with my husband, Mark at my 35th High School reunion in 2004.
Below are several photos from my 45th Bishop Ready High School reunion on 20 September 2014. The theme was

A NIGHT AT THE GLORIA.
I'm not sure about the Gloria being 'stomping ground' for kids in my class. My parents went there often, and I was still 17 when I graduated! But I digress! Some of these HS classmates were also my elementary school classmates; some from St. Aloysius (SA) and some from Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OL) .


Yvette & Mark... Beth and Nikki (OL) ... Best friends: Margie & Nikki (OL) ... True friends: Kathy (SA) and Tess (SA)

Cousins: Tess (SA) and Peggy (SA)... Still my friend: Chris...... Two Pattys-(Patty left (SA))... Bob and JoJo - (JoAnn (SA))

Terry & Marlene-we bought a van from Terry not knowing he was Marlene's husband!
Patti - Twice, I have seen her Hair Theater to raise money for cancer wigs.

Cindy is class of '68 - both classes have been joining for about the last 4 or 5 reunions. Not only was she one of the organizers, she is also the bookkeeper at my parish, St. Aloysius. I count her as my friend.
What a grand finale for a reunion! FIREWORKS! Everything from the valet parking to the fireworks were a gift from Bill Lager, class of '68. I do not know him, but I thank him with all my heart for the best high school reunion EVER! How can this one be topped?
These last four photos, I stole from the Facebook reunion page. I'm certain that Carolyn snapped all four of them.

The first one of Nikki and me, was taken by Carolyn, and I'm not sure who photographed the others. That's Nikki's husband, Larry behind us.

Three KATHYs and JoAnn - not sure how each Kathy spells her name, so I am improvising: Kathi, JoJo, Cathy & Kathy!

Three St. Al's kids: clockwise, George, Tess & Peggy... Jane, Pam, Carolyn and Margie


Carolyn, thank you for posting this on your Facebook page:
I notice that Steve Fox's name is missing from the 1969 list.