Angela and I have had a rough road over the last little while. Between all of life's uncertainties and changes that have plagued the both of us, I would count it fair to say that we haven't had the easiest of times getting along for about 6 months or so.
I sold my business and was unemployed for a while and was just feeling awful, then went to a job I absolutely despised, until I recently found something that I really love doing. I can tell you, I have not been the easiest person to get along with. Ange found a long distance boyfriend, and I found her consumed with that at a time when I felt that I needed my best friend, but I didn't even think about how much she wanted me to be around for her in the early stages of this new relationship... I think we were both being pretty stubborn, selfish and hard headed, neither one of us wanting to admit that we needed the other, so she did what she does in those situations and pushed me away. And she pushed HARD! We battled and said things to one another that neither one of us meant.
And then we moved away from each other. Angela, to her parents house, and I found a little beach house about 20 minutes outside of town. We were still best friends as far as anyone else was concerned, but I knew, and I know she did, that our relationship was severely strained. And then Namand, Ange's brother in law, got extremely sick.
Namand Payne was an incredible man with an incredible family. I only ever had the pleasure of spending some time with Namand when he came to Sault Ste Marie for a week. I can tell you, he was the life of the party and center of attention. He had a great joke for everything, and was always bugging Ange and Gina, playing with his kids, working for his family, and sharing his strong beliefs. He was an amazing man who was struck with the awful task of battling brain cancer.
When it got really bad in June, Angela flew out to Edmonton to help Gina with their 3 children. She was gone for nearly an entire month. I was sad to see her go, but I knew she had to do this for her family. I couldn't have predicted what an impact this situation would have on our friendship. It brought to light how ridiculous the both of us had been.
My heart broke for the whole family. Namand, Gina, Tayvien, Brooklyn, and Tyreece were all in my daily thoughts, along with the rest of their family. I talked to Ange more and more as this terrible situation unfolded. I was broken by the fact that she was hurting so much and I couldn't be there to help, but I called and texted everyday to remind her of what a selfless thing she was doing and what a good person she was, all the while, reminding myself of what an amazing friend I had.
In the end Namand lost his hard fought battle to cancer just a few days after Angela returned to Sault Ste Marie. I think that the powers that be, work in mysterious ways, because for as strong of an individual as Ange is, I don't think she was meant to be there for that. His passing hit her pretty hard, and I was happy to be there for her, to watch videos and cry together, and to chat about all of the wonderful memories she had.
Losing a life is always a tragic event. Namand's was exceptionally sad, as he left behind 3 young, wonderful children, a wife who adored him, and an entire family and friends who will miss him forever, but I don't think he passed in vain. Losing such an amazing person makes everyone realize that life is short and you should hold the people who mean the most to you very closely.
So maybe some people would have been more frustrated to be stuck on such a long drive, but I was happy to be able to use our VERY long drive to catch up with my best friend. This time made me realize that I just want to be HAPPY because you never know when your time will come. Let go of stupid grudges. Don't be so stubborn. Tell people when you need them. Let them know when they've done something good and how important they are to you. You never know when you won't be able to. Trust me, it's a wonderful feeling when you know you are appreciated in the lives of others.
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