###. My faithfullest friend: this girl from high school, that due to my near comatose alienation and self-absorption as a teen, I don't remember, reached out to me ye........

###.  My faithfullest friend: this girl from high school, that due to my near comatose alienation and self-absorption as a teen, I don't remember, reached out to me years ago and has been so dear, so kind, so faithful, so loving,  so constant, so unwavering. There, I jynxed it, I'll lose her tomorrow. What will be will be. I learned this about her yesterday: "My greatest giving experience (and growing) was when i worked in a home for the chronically brain damaged people. all ages. I was on the second to the worst floor (bars on the widows and doors-one flew over the cuckoos nest style--) - taking physical care of 12 patients. They were from 30 yrs old to 80 yrs old. I woke, washed, dressed, medicated, fed, amongst many other things in a long day. IT WAS THE MOST JOYFUL OF "JOBS" BECAUSE--NO ONE WAS ABLE TO SAY THANK YOU. They just needed me and I was blessed to be there. It was me learning about true giving and loving it. a HUGE gift from God to me! ( I was 18 yrs old.) xoxox" 

I replied: Totally totally totally totally totally totally totally totally totally. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you for sharing. In 2000 at the peak of my career, with several of masters degrees, the most joyful year of my life was as a guidance counselor in Chester Elementary, one of the ten largest, 10 neediest, 10 most failing elementary schools in the country, 1200 K thru 6th graders. I needed to figure out how to lift the entire School. It was a massive campus,  8 Acres 20 acres? Due to the wind and neglect of these children every morning the campus was literally covered with candy wrappers condoms glass shards.... . I saw my opportunity. I would arrive between 4 and 5 in the morning, every morning, and pick up everything on the campus so the staff and the students would arrive at a beautiful clean School and possibly feel the love behind my actions. There were days that I literally could not drive home 45 minutes after work  due to the exhaustion.  I would go  comatose sitting in my car for an hour asleep before I could move on. Without question the most joyful year of my life....  What you did was infinitely harder emotionally. I'm so glad for you but I don't know how you did it.