Cup 3 - Martina

January 19, 2014

This week I had the true pleasure of re-connecting not only with a fabulous friend, but also with her entire family.  Every member (and her home itself) is as beautiful as she is (even you, Jeff!) - probably greatly due to her influence!  

As with so many of the friends I hope to see again through this process, Martina is someone I met through teaching.  I believe we first met in the late 1990s and quickly found affinity in our common single lady status (insert song here).  After having moved here from Lethbridge and ending a previous, serious relationship,   it was fun to help Martina find the first home she bought.  (I enjoy helping other people spend their money!) The house was in Tuscany and I was living in nearby Arbour Lake at the time.  We became carpool buddies.  Carpooling from Calgary to Airdrie, for approximately an hour - total - per day is a great way to deepen a friendship and an opportunity to not just "talk shop".  When we first met I learned Martina was an avid reader (still is) and a lover of travel, photography and sports. She is a natural athlete who played university basketball "back in the day" and still plays in a women's league today.  Other memories include great games of Scrabble and a successful trip to the mall where we re-outfitted her in a new wardrobe.  (Did I mention I enjoy helping other people spend their money?)  We had many work friends in common and there are a few girls nights and weekends/conferences on record as well.  Martina used to have this cool habit of, each evening, writing 2 or 3 significant words - perhaps a short phrase - from her day on a calendar, kind of like a diary.  She could then look back into an old calendar, onto any given date, and recall the events of that particular day in detail.  Finally, I have to brag that one of my claims to fame is that I can spell her Hungarian last name full of consonants (and vowels) in unexpected places, consistently correctly!

We didn't work together for a long time.  After she transferred to a school in Cochrane we kept in touch via a new colleague, and subsequent carpool buddy of mine, who ended up renting a room in Martina's house.  This period parallels the time she met Jeff and their lives became especially meaningful as they experienced significant milestones together...

Jeff and Martina have two fantastic children, and all four of them are who I spent my recent evening with.  Grace is a vibrant, articulate and warm 10 year old who I previously last saw 6 years ago at my wedding shower.  There, we outfitted her in a dress made of toilet paper (women are weird sometimes!).  During this recent visit, Grace had the nerve to score higher than me in the game of Scrabble four of us played!  (Although her dad did beat us all...).  Grace's brother, Cache is a sweet, expressive almost-five year old who was born with a rare undiagnosed developmental condition which requires him to need almost constant medical monitoring.  He sure can flirt though!  Cache is represented as an angelic guardian on the wings of his fairy-like big sister on Grace's beautiful bedroom wall mural.  His family is a true blessing to Cache and they will tell you he is the even bigger gift.  I was honoured to meet him for the first time this week, although am sheepish it hadn't happened sooner!! (Hence, just another example of why this resolution is important to me...)

Martina recently shared with me an opportunity they were afforded thanks to Cache and which I know she is comfortable with me sharing further.  Perhaps readers know others who need a wish granted or who would like to help the wishes of others come true:

http://www.childrenswish.ca/en-ab/wishes/1040

Martina is a friend with whom I enjoyed many fun times in our "younger" days.  Some of those times even seemed meaningful.  But it's the optimism and sincerity she exudes today, through her perspective and daily living of a life one couldn't have predicted, which is actually meaningful. And inspiring.  And motivating.  And so important.  

~A.

PS - Thanks for the wine Martina!  (It was too late for coffee!!)