SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

MY SPIRITUAL MENTOR and BFF (kathy biondi!)

we are studying 1&2 peter and jude in bible study.

one of the questions inspired each of us to talk about a valued spiritual relationship in our lives. first person to spring to mind for me was kathy biondi

it's interesting to look back on... although she attended church regularly, and said she couldn't make it through the week without it,

she never pushed it on me. she never pushed the bible on me, or church attendance or Jesus

but we worked together in very tight quarters at san leandro hospital. she was the quality assurance director, and i was the girl friday, or q.a. coordinator, assistant or something like that.

i was in my mid-20's, and her, her early 40's. -the way kathy had such a huge impact on my life will sound at first ridiculously simplistic:

she was kind. she was respectful. she was fair. she cared. she was a great listener; a fantastic advisor. she was herself. she was encouraging. she was real. she was honest. she was beautiful.

and here's the key:

she was all those things every single day we worked together. with great consistency.

took me quite a while to adjust to this genuine kindness and these realistic expectations -coming from my boss.

until this encounter, i'd have to say, the dysfunction level i experienced in my personal and work life was high to off the charts.

but let's remember -by the time i met kathy in my 20's, i had been a kidnap/rape victim three times, plus, the bank robbery, still had PTSD, plus left high school early, plus walked out on one job, left another, and had already been married and divorced once -and i'm leaving a lot out here, but

let's just say i was not the most mature, spiritually healthy employee one might wish for.

during the years i spent with kathy -this is when things quantifiably started to turn around for the better in my life. i would join pleasanton toastmasters, and although torturous.. i earned my ctm. i would, during this time, attend cal state hayward, and although torturous, i earned my b.a. in mass communications

i never did attend church during this stretch, but kathy certainly served as a spiritual mentor, and having successfully made it through a variety of her own life challenges; she was my faith, my hope, my love.

my guiding light.

i can look back now, and see with great clarity -it was when i worked in kathy's company, i first started to feel myself healing

i'm leaving so much out here -too much out, but

i grew to love kathy as a great and dear friend. and i remember her tears when she was the one to let me go, during wide-spread hospital lay-offs.

i had no money. no savings. no clue what was next. completely ill prepared.

but i had had a few years worth of direct and daily exposure to a kind & loving person. i had my college degree. i had prayer.

i can't count the amount of times i heard kathy say, "i'll pray on that.."

****

i prayed.

***

we've stayed in touch ever since. not daily, or weekly.. but annually; one or two times a year, ever since working together, we've reconnected over a meal [that's us at pasta's in downtown pleasanton for our 2nd 2010 visit. my daughter happened by for a quick cameo].

we usually sit and talk for 2 to 4 hours.. catch each other up on our lives, our families, our friends, our challenges, our victories

and then we hug, and look forward to the next visit.

kathy sang in my 2nd wedding.. she has the most beautiful voice! sings/cantors at st. augustines here in pleasanton -and she is my daughter's God-mother.

i will cherish her friendship always.

-and i smile to hear myself now, me , in my mid-40's,

attending church and feeling like i can't make it through the week without it. and so often saying, "i'll pray on that.."

i remain a late bloomer in almost everything i do. but better late.. yes.

here i pray for everyone

"everyone should have a kathy biondi in their lives!" a consistent and genuine kind person.

shame they're so hard to come by, isn't it.

i love you kathy! thank you! see you next year...

posted by SHE @ 9:14 AM