MY FRIEND ACROSS THE RIVER

Throughout my life, I have been blessed with special friends.
Friends who are faithful, fun loving, and always there when
you need them. Who know how to say just the right things to make
a sad heart smile and who wrap their arms around you when the
thing you need most is a hug and they are ever obliging. They are
deliverers of God’s Love and mercy and repair all the little bruises of
this topsy turvy world. My friend Maren came into my life when we were both
in our early teens. She didn’t come from far off, but from right across
the river from us. I suspect we met at school, but am not totally certain
of this. From our first meeting, we were inseparable and spent long
hours together getting to know each other better. She would come to
our house after supper sometimes, and had to wait on the porch while
our family prayed the Rosary which was our time of togetherness with Our Lord,
and our Blessed Mother. Then, in her words, we would head off downtown
to pound the pavement and see what was happening in the peaceful village of
Tweed. Often we’d refresh ourselves at Kwan’s Restaurant and have a cherry
coke and play some songs on the mini juke boxes that were stationed in
every booth. It was a haven for kids our age and the patrons of the place
were always happy to see us. Our walks would take us by the stores
where at a later date we would have our first jobs. The Stedman’s Store was
the first place that hired many of us and taught us how to treat our customers,
and to do a full day’s work as best we could. It didn’t pay much, but gave us
our first experience of being out from under our parent’s wings. The park, was
always a high spot to go and inspect the boys who in turn inspected us, this
game being played out since time began. It was an exciting time and the air
was always pregnant with the unknown and we were young and full of ourselves.
It was an electric time and we were fully charged. I must say that we overworked our
guardian angels at these times because in our foolishness, we took risks that today
in retrospect, we see that God kept us out of harms way. Maren was always the athletic
one and this is where we couldn’t be on sports teams together, because my health slowed
me down considerably. I did play some volleyball, but detested the bloomers we had to
wear for gym. Glamorous they were not! I remember once we each packed a picnic lunch
and walked up the highway a ways and climbed a small hill, watched the traffic, talked
and shared many things in our lives, plus our packed lunch. Another memory was when
you took me into your home and your mom had made some eggnog. I had never had
it before, so I tried it and wouldn’t you know it I was the one who got that little slippery
thing that’s part of the egg and I came so close to upchucking on the floor. I was so
embarrassed and to this day have never let eggnog touch my lips again. I liked
going to your house because there was always a chance I’d get to meet your brother
Peter, who with his extreme height, blond curly hair and blue eyes had me
spell bound, I’ll bet you didn’t know that Maren. We both sang in the choir of our respective Churches and my choir practice was at The Convent where every Wednesday night we got
together with Sister Joan of Arc to hone our voices. If I was done first, I’d go wait at Maren’s
church and listen to them practice. They sang like angels! If she was finished first, the opposite took place. Maren was gung ho for sports of any kind, and swimming was one of them. She attempted to swim across Stoco Lake while some guy rowed a boat along side of her. She made it to the island with no trouble, but came back without going further. She was blond and pretty and attracted the boys like bees to honey. Deep inside I wanted to be like her and I looked up to her, not understanding at the time that we must make the best of who we are and not wish our life away. Luckily in time (a long time) I learned with the help of God that I was somebody too and that I have a mission on this earth, and I aim to complete it. I know I can do the job because I don’t have to do it alone. He is always with me! Our time
together flew and one day you informed me that you were moving to Labrador as your dad had acquired a job there. That was very traumatic for me, and I imagine for you too. However, adjust we must. It seemed in no time you were writing me that you had met someone and were engaged to be married. Life really did change at that time, for me too, as I, not too
long afterwards met my young swain, on Valentine’s Day no less and by Nov. 13 of the same year we were married and we both started new lives, which is another story for another time.


Margaret Rose Larrivee
Feb. 15,2007