Remember the old saying, There's one in every crowd? Well, in my group of friends, we definitely have that one. The one that is the center of attention, the life of the party, a bundle of energy and loved by everyone who knows her. She never meets a stranger and has a heart of pure gold. No matter what we are doing she can always make us laugh and always make us feel loved. She is the heart and soul of our circle. Her name is Brenda.
Brenda is experiencing a rough time right now, dealing with excruciating pain. She is facing knee surgery but won't know for a few more days just when and how extensive. Now it is my turn to hopefully make her laugh. This story is not only about her, it is dedicated to her.
As I mentioned earlier, Brenda never meets a stranger and loves to get a laugh. And, as she herself will tell you, she has more nerve than a bad tooth. If you don't believe me now, you will by the time you finish reading this post. Let me show you what I mean:
"Brenda the Bod"
"Eat your heart out girls"
This is the bathing suit cover-up we bought for Brenda in St. Maarten. Now, me personally, I wouldn't have the nerve to wear it in public, but for Brenda it was perfect. She loved it, and not only did she love it, but it soon became the "must see" talk of the whole cruise ship. She wore it everywhere and everywhere got the same reaction. She was the hit of the week. People loved the cover-up and loved her.
Brenda has one of those charismatic type personalities that draws people to her wherever she goes, without any props. But give her something that draws this much attention and she is really the belle of the ball. Women, as well as men, all over the ship stopped her to tell her how cute her cover-up was. They would engage her in conversation and soon she had new friends from every region of the world. Strange men would come up to her and want their picture taken with her. In some instances the photographer was the man's wife, who loved it!
One morning we decided to go to the main dining room for breakfast, knowing there was a dress code. Usually we only went there at night for dinner. Libby and I had already gone in so we missed what happened at the door. Brenda had on her cover-up with white capris under it. Kelly had on a cover up too with her bathing suit underneath. Unfortunately, Kelly's cover-up was crocheted so you could see her suit through the holes. They wouldn't let her in but would let Brenda in with her "shapely body". Kelly couldn't believe it. They went elsewhere for breakfast.
Brenda and Kelly went up to the Windjammer buffet. Now, this isn't just a small buffet, but instead has various buffets in a circle about the size of a football field. Somehow, they went different directions and after getting her food, Brenda couldn't find Kelly. If you remember, I said Brenda never sees a stranger, so, not wanting to eat alone she picked out a nice looking couple and proceeded to sit down with them. She introduced herself and struck up a conversation. Inevitably the discussion came around to her cover-up and she told them all the stories of fun and laughter she had had because of it. She made some new friends from Russia.
Brenda is a special lady and we all love her very much. We pray that she will soon be out of pain and feeling like being our life of the party once again. Until then, maybe we can make her laugh just a little.
Until next time...that's my view.
Kat
