Ode To RHM

As the last heat of summer wears on and we realize school is starting in only a few days; as we look forward to the last beach party, BBQ or fishing trip it can also be time to stop and think of those we love. Particularly one such friend as I have had for many years. More years than we would like to admit because then it would give away how old we really are. (And a lady never tells.) She is smart, practical, passionate, kind and helpful. (She'd make a heck of a boy scout!) She does a hard job all day, every day - far beyond the call of duty. Far beyond her own limits if truth be told, simply because she loves it. She's good at it. Good at the things she chose, the things that chose her the things that got foisted upon her. All of it.
She has ten things on her plate at once and worries she won't get it all done. But she does and it's good. The writing, the teaching, the gardening, the feeding, the care giving, the driving, the listening. Oh how she listens. She has always, ALWAYS, been there for me. She lets me whine and cry about my trivial life issues. She commiserates with me when "our boys" do stupid things. We've shared a lot in the time I've known her and she stays friends with me despite it all. (!) She's a good person. And there are getting to be fewer and fewer of them in the world these days.
She is my colleague, my listening ear, my shoulder to cry on, my sister-in-arch, my friend.
Happy Birthday RHM! You're one in a million.

This is me, off with the ode.