Little did I know when a crazy Jamaican became my deskmate that she would become such a great friend, such an inspiration and someone who would still be there almost 20 years later. I have never laughed so hard, eaten so much great food, met so many wonderful people through you, or learned so much about life and how to truly live it. I would be lost without you in my life and the sun just wouldn't shine so brightly. Politics would definitely be much less colorful! I have missed living so close and meeting up for lunch, dinners, holidays or just being able to sit down and talk with you, knowing you were never too far away. I'm also grateful that you have left such a positive impression on my girls as a strong woman with a strong mind - oh, and the fact that you can be more entertaining than any TV show! I do wish I could have made that once in a lifetime trip with you to celebrate your 50th and enjoy those memories with you. But, we will definitely have more great memories to share together, I just know and can't wait to see what they will be as we get out there for the next 50!
Thanks for your friendship Lizzy - I love you and I aspire to live life to the fullest the way you do and the way you have always done!
Judi
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Liz Responds To Her Tribe...
WHAT I KNOW FOR SUREFirst let me thank Donnette, whose wonderful idea this was, and Audrey who learned about blogs in five minutes and took on the unenviable task of sending emails to everyone and getting them to write these wonderful words about me. I appreciate all the kind words from everyone and felt like I attended my own funeral and listened to the beautiful eulogies without dying (lol).
I know for sure that I am loved by my family and friends and for that I am eternally grateful. There is a saying in Jamaica, “show me your company and I will tell you who you are.” I am delighted to be in the company of all of you and it shows what good judgment I have (I am kidding).
I know for sure that I am a phenomenal salesperson.
I was able to convince 13 people to come along with me on this adventure. Sheryll, who had to make many accommodations in order to come but who I can depend on to be always there with me as she has done throughout my life through thick and thin; Charmaine, who did not like long plane rides and repeatedly wondered aloud to me over the last year “why couldn’t you have daydreamed about somewhere closer?”; Jean, my first Jamaican friend at work when I moved to Maryland and who was as committed to going on this trip as I was; and Jackie, who had never traveled outside of Jamaica and the United States and whose first trip was going to be a 17 hour flight to Johannesburg; Karen, who lives in Jamaica and had just come back from a trip to Asia and was game for many more hours of flying; Donnette, who had already traveled to South Africa in the 90’s but who was committed to coming, even when she lost her job (to which she was swiftly rehired) and said she would use the time to figure out what to do with the rest of her life; Kamau, who absolutely hated flying but did so without complaining and who was the only other male on the trip; Steve, who put up with my wanderlust over the years and was willing to take a leap of faith one more time and travel half way around the world for the musings of a thirteen year old; Monica who traveled all the way from Los Angeles and who attracted every male from Johannesburg to Botswana and took over 5,000 pictures; Norma, Marva and Yvonne from England who took time out of the their busy schedules with work and school and made the trip. Thanks for taking a leap of faith and I thank God that a good time was had by all.
This was the first time that I had embarked on a trip without doing extensive research about the place and in hindsight I am glad I did not. The wonderful discoveries I made in each place were not tainted by any preconceived notions and I was able to enjoy my experiences like a newborn. South Africa, a vast landscape with a rich, troubled history of oppression and then rebirth. Now I know for sure that we are bound to nature, that watching the animals in their natural habitat and seeing firsthand the law of the jungle, that not only that every animal has their place, but knows their place. Even if you are not religious, I felt spiritual when looking at Victoria Falls, gazing at it in awe and experiencing the power and wonder of it all. To go on safari and watch the lioness with her kill, the elephant, and observing the other animals lying in wait for their turn but knowing that they have to observe the law of the jungle and wait patiently until the lion is satiated, before moving in for their piece of the pie, or in this case, piece of the elephant.
What part of the trip did I enjoy most? Was it Johannesburg, as seen in the caption, a sprawling, beautiful metropolis with beautiful homes, a vibrant downtown and even more beautiful suburbs, where we stayed at the fabulous Rosebank Hotel? Was it the wonderful hospitality of Trevor and Rufus from the Rosebank Hotel? Was it Cape Town with Table Mountain and the trip to Robben Island where we saw where Mandela was imprisoned? Was it the vibrant waterfront in Cape Town where we spent every evening shopping and having great meals? Was it wine country where I watched the wine tasting and wished I drank because she made it look so good? Was it the wonder of Victoria Falls? Was it the safari? Truthfully, I cannot choose because every moment was grand in its own right and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience it all.
I know for sure that if you get in the habit of being happy, most of the time you will be happy. We all have problems we cannot control and sometimes life deals us some horrible blows but we can control how we look at it.
Get in the habit of being excited. It is big world with so much happening and there is no excuse to be bored. Be present and open to the moment that is unfolding before you. Ultimately life is made of small moments so don’t miss them by being lost in the past or anticipating the future. Don’t be absent from your own life and it is ultimately the collection of these memories that shape the fiber of our being.
Travel………What a wonderful world it is out there. Go to someplace you have never been. Experience meeting new people, the taste of food you have never had and walk through old buildings and experience the sense of history.
“Good friends are better than pocket money” as evidenced by my wonderful tribe. “Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget.” G. Randolf
Forgive early, kiss slowly, love wholeheartedly and laugh loudly because life may not be the party we all hoped for.
Warmest regards from Liz
3/15/09
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Happy Birthday
Well Elizabeth Owen you beautiful person. I missed the blog (Well, someone has to represent the Jamaican flag and be awfully late) so I feel it's important to share my feelings with you here. You've done great. We've come so far. You're an inspiration, a sister in the hood with a fierce intelligence, equalled only by a fierce laugh and outstanding wit that have been constant in the five decades we've known each other. Liz, I drew strength from knowing you were the only "cool girl" I knew from a "respectable" family whose parents were also divorced. No one but us knows how crazy-making that was in our day, in our circle in Jamaica at that time. And our Dads being who they were...well, please. You carried yourself like "well I'm fabulous no matter what." before I could get to adulthood and discover that truth for myself. The world and my world would be a different, bleaker place without you, Liz. I'm honored to know you and even when I don't see you as much as I'd like to, I'm feeling good and glad that you're out there. Sheryll sent me the link and the posts had me laughing and crying. They underlined that my friend is no "poppy show." Fifty isn't ready for you. Maybe 100 will be.Love you a bunch, love you forever,
Constance
From: Constance White
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 7:35 PM
To: Owen, Elizabeth G.
Subject: RE: happy birthday
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Liz Enjoys her Birthday Party
“You Are My Coffee in the Morning and My Cocktail in the Evening”
Liz and I met under class warfare on the playground of Meadowbrook Prep School where she stood guard to make sure that St. Richard’s Primary School underprivileged children could not enjoy the privileges afforded only to prep school children.
Can you imagine several years later when through mutual friends, I came eye to eye with my childhood nemesis? There a friendship began that has weathered storms, hurricanes, wars, good times and bad times and blossomed and grew into a friendship that we each know whatever happens we can count on each other through thick and thin.
Liz is also close to my family. She is affectionately known as “Mama Liz,” a name given to her as a teenager by my father as they sat together smoking and talking on our verandah in Jamaica.
Liz is my coffee in the mornings as we talk daily on my drive to work to recap what happened in the world the night before and she is my cocktail on my drive home as we recap what happened in the world or our lives during the day.
When she goes on vacation overseas, which is often, I am left in the mornings with a headache for not having my daily caffeine of her humor and wit and withdrawal symptoms in the evening for not having my daily drink of her wisdom.
I am so happy and privileged to sit at the front of the bus (smile) and will continue to hold my seat as we embark together on our life after 50. Remember you have to keep well because you have many eulogies to give, as we are depending on you to be the last man standing.. I am so glad to be a part of your tribe and know that you are part of my tribe and I love you very much.
Love Sheryll and the rest of her tribe .
Can you imagine several years later when through mutual friends, I came eye to eye with my childhood nemesis? There a friendship began that has weathered storms, hurricanes, wars, good times and bad times and blossomed and grew into a friendship that we each know whatever happens we can count on each other through thick and thin.
Liz is also close to my family. She is affectionately known as “Mama Liz,” a name given to her as a teenager by my father as they sat together smoking and talking on our verandah in Jamaica.
Liz is my coffee in the mornings as we talk daily on my drive to work to recap what happened in the world the night before and she is my cocktail on my drive home as we recap what happened in the world or our lives during the day.
When she goes on vacation overseas, which is often, I am left in the mornings with a headache for not having my daily caffeine of her humor and wit and withdrawal symptoms in the evening for not having my daily drink of her wisdom.
I am so happy and privileged to sit at the front of the bus (smile) and will continue to hold my seat as we embark together on our life after 50. Remember you have to keep well because you have many eulogies to give, as we are depending on you to be the last man standing.. I am so glad to be a part of your tribe and know that you are part of my tribe and I love you very much.
Love Sheryll and the rest of her tribe .
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