The Tale of Janis, Sheila, Laverne and Willie

             And Fred our Driver

AKA Shirley's Mountain

Have you ever spent days laughing. I mean days. For three wonderful days I went back in time and remembered what it is like to have sisters that no matter your age you can laugh and act a fool and just let your hair down and have fun. I recommend everyone take a silly day.

I have known Millie for all most nine years but had met her once for a short period because of the distance separating us. We have talked regularly and emailed each other. We have helped each other through some hard times. She is someone I can count on when the chips are down. When I thought of planning a special trip, I told my husband that I wanted to see a mountain in the summer time with snow on the top. He told me I needed to go see Millie. I sent her an email and she immediately told me she would help me find my mountain; we would go to Grande Cache, Alberta, a nice drive from where she lived.

It took me three days traveling by bus to get to the best time of my life. I left here on the 20th of July and by the 22nd I was in Winnipeg to pick up a dear friend, Laurie who was going to continue on this journey with me. The security is tough to get on a bus. They checked my purse and any carry on I had and then make me stand while they ran a wand over me. It helps when you have had no sleep for two days, your bus is an hour late getting into our next destination and they had not stopped in five hours for me to go to the washroom or have a smoke. I found my self talking to a guard with attitude; me being a smart-el-lick that I am (after having had handed him my purse for a security search) heard him say in a rude voice “Turn around and spread them”. I replied quickly….. in the sweetest voice “The last time a man told me that I had my daughter” I shocked him so bad he just told me to go on.

Laurie was so nervous to meet Millie. I told her Miss Millie is a very prim and proper lady. You never see her with out her make up on and every hair in place….. But if you’re out digging a ditch, she is digging right beside you with her good clothes on and all. I needed this trip for more than one reason. I needed to come to grips with AMD and losing the site in my eyes; I could see minimal at this time. I needed to find inner peace. I needed to just be me.

Miss Millie is the one who started the laughing binge. She looked right at Laurie and said, “Well Janis” and we burst out laughing and giggling like school girls. She said, “I don’t know why I can’t remember her name”, and the next thing she did was call me “Sheila” not Shirley, my name. So there we went again. I told her there is no telling what our names will be before we are through.

The next morning we set off on our trip to find my mountain; my dream was to find a snow capped mountain before I had lost my sight completely. George, the love of Millie’s life, was so gracious to chauffeur all three of us in his van. Millie introduced us as Laurie, better known as Janis and Shirley known as Sheila. Of course the laughter started. George bless his heart thought we where crazy. I think we were too. We told George about our evening and how silly we where acting and about that time I was going to tell him what Millie said and I heard myself call her Willie. So for the rest of our time there in Grande Prairie, Willie, Sheila and Janis took over. I told George I did not want him to feel left out so we named him Fred.

By the time we got to Grande Cache my tummy was sore from laughing but I remember it well. When I caught my first glimpse of the mountains……. When they first came into site, George pulled over and I got out of the van. There in the distance, I could see my mountain. I have never felt so close to God as I did at that moment. I stood there with tears running down my face and prayed. My friends had tears, too because even though we lost ourselves in laughter during the ride, I found myself face to face with the fact that I had to memorize this day in my mind so that I could go back to my mountain in my memory sometimes. We had a Special time there.

I could talk for days about our laughter…..the way George looked every time we called one another the wrong name. By the time we got through with him he was one of us. We are sitting in a very nice restaurant and he looks at Laurie aka Janis and said, “Well Laverne, do you think you would come back “? Guess what we did? His face turned so red and of course that made us worse. We took in every memory we could; sometimes even the memory of just holding on to each other…… and we returned back to Grande Prairie…leaving behind the mountain I named “Shirley’s Mountain”.

The next morning Janis, Sheila and Willie stood holding each other and cried as we waited to get on the bus. We had just a great time. I have never been treated so well in my life. I believe laughter cleansed the soul and I will say now that mine was cleansed during those days. I know I have three true friends that I can count on no matter what. I love you Willie and Janis. Fred, you’re the Greatest. Thank You for Everything; thank you for showing me my Mountain!

 Written By Shirley Goodwin

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