Karen McGinn
I really miss her alot, and though we have lost touch over the years - I can still count on hearing from her on 2 specific days each year...a card for my birthday, and she always sends me the very first card of the Christmas season, which arrives promptly on the day after Thanksgiving. She is one on the ball lady!
I met Karen when I was working as a physician scheduler in AnnArbor for a company called Emergency Physicians Medical Group. She was a physician recruiter for the same company, and she started just a few months after I did. Karen is one of those people who NEVER has a negative thing to say about another person or a situation, and forces you to see the silver lining. In all the years of our friendship, I never once heard her utter a piece of gossip, put someone down (and she had a pretty mean manager for some of her time there!) or ever give in to despair.
When I think of her, I always feel better, and wish I would find the time to reconnect with her. When I left the medical group to go to California, she remained my constant friend - calling and writing (this was pre-email and FB, so we did things the old fashioned way) and keeping me lifted up while I was so homesick.
Karen is faithful to her church and to her husband. There was never a time when she even seemed angry at him...she really is one of those all around sweet people. That I know of, Karen has not been blessed with children. I remember being at work the day after she learned that this probably wasn't in her future - and for the first time, I saw sadness in her eyes...but not for herself - for her husband, because he came from a big Irish family (McGinn, right?) and she really believed he would be an amazing father. Instead of complaining and wallowing in self pity, Karen threw all the love she had in her heart on to her neices and nephews...and there was a bunch! Each one gets a special day of shopping with her for their birthday, and each gets a pretty nice Christmas gift every year. Talk about lemons into lemonade.
The last time I saw her was the day I was married. She stood by me as my matron of honor, and watched as I got married. She was a friend right up until the day I moved away, and I've no doubt that if I was still in the area, we'd be spending our Friday's after Thanksgiving going shopping, and planning lunch and movie dates about once a month.
I often wonder how she is doing, and what she is up to - and promise myself after the holidays have passed, I'm going to call her and catch up. Well, so far, it's Fabruary, and no such thing has happened...but I will. In the meantime, I want to celebrate her here. For even though we aren't in each others lives at themoment, she made an impression on mine that I will never forget, and I love her for it!
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