suzie Q

Today was a beautiful day here in Rhode Island.

Amidst that beautiful day, a great woman lay dying after battling cancer for over two years.

We worked together, but 12 years ago I realized we were more than co-workers, that i enjoyed her as a friend. i helped her move from a home in Jamestown to an apartment on Hope Street, then into a house with her then partner. i took care of her dogs and cat when they traveled to her house in upstate New York. When she split with her partner, and found another, she returned to Jamestown to live.

It was there that i saw her today, along with so many others who love her, as she lay in a bed, dying. After a year of good health, she took a turn for the worst... i am not sure there is anything more vindictive than cancer.

Of course, she was not there, it was not the woman who i knew over the years, the woman who, when i told her that i didn't wear a helmet while biking because it makes me look stupid, replied by saying: "Think of how stupid you'll look with a tube coming out of your trachea after you have a crash." i wore the helmet.

She taught me about a type of lesbian i had never heard of: Diesel Dykes.

She created a whole story around me working at a local department store, in the tire section, after seeing me retrieve my mail one day at an apartment i had that was behind one of the stores.

Most of all, she taught me about the most practical approach to supporting people with developmental disabilities: keep it simple. Honor what communication they choose to use, and build support around it.

Sleep peacefully, Susan. I'll see you on the other side.