Jenny’s parents where not very proactive in her life. That angered Barbara but instead of making the situation worse she stepped up with love. She would share her frustration with me so that she could be a “Mom” to Jenny. Their wedding was spectacular. The joy and love I saw in Barbara were similar to the joy at our wedding. Barbara, AJ and Jenny are very spiritual. I knew Barbara strongly believed in angels. As the evening went on the three of them shared that they felt Johnny in the room. I felt a little threatened and left out. I never said anything to Barbara because I knew she loved me, and I did not want to disrespect her. As the years went by I learned how strong Barbara’s spirituality was. AJ was her pride and joy and that Johnny was his dad. They both needed him to be there and he was.
At that time, my job required me to go on business trips. Barbara and I could not be apart from each other for too long. So, we decided to have her meet me the day before the meeting ended and we would take a mini vacation a few times a year. When we flew together I noticed as we were getting ready to take off she would always close her eyes and get quiet. I asked her why and she said she was praying to her angels. After we took off she got a glass of cranberry juice, added some vodka that she smuggled on the plane and took a half of a Valium. After a few trips, the vodka routine ,she still spoke to her angels and we just held hands tightly. Combined with her spirituality, common sense, devotion to family, honesty and tough love made her a force to reckon with. Barbara was as far from corporate as you can get, with her strong personality and common sense. However, because of her love and respect for me she controlled her instincts. She always let me be the big shot and would only comment on things when we were in private. Those conversations where hard for me to hear but she only wanted me to look professional and be the best I could be. Sometimes we would argue, and I would say something stupid. She always said, “Your mouth works before your brain does”. And it did. But she ALWAYS forgave me with love.
Angels
