My Mary

I hesitate to write this post because sometimes when you focus a post on one particular friend then your other friends (and sisters) feel like maybe they aren't as important to you.  Well...be a little more secure in my love for you, okay?!

Last year some time I noticed that my long-time friend, Mahri, had a friend on facebook who had no hair.  I wrote to Mahri and asked, "Do you have TWO beautiful, bald friends???"  And then of course I couldn't even wait for an answer before I had to "friend" this girl.  Her name was Mary Hill.  She has alopecia like me.  I had no idea at the time that alopecia is pretty much the least important of our similarities.  We started talking and then we were in contact every day or more.  Its a pretty great love story.  A soul-sister love story.  Some of our differences are that Mary is ten years younger than I and is single.  She is very much who I was about 10 years ago.  Interesting.  Anyway, I feel so blessed that the Lord led me to this girl of mine.  When we first met she was living in Baltimore but came to Utah to visit in December.  I knew that she had to know Haiti because, well, we're soul-sisters.  We planned to go to Haiti at the beginning of February, then the "goudou-goudou" happened.  Our trip was put on hold but we finally went together last week.  Haiti brings out the true person in each of us.  Mary laughed and said she was nervous about the person she would find herself to be in Haiti.  I can tell you, that I already knew the real Mary, but the REAL real Mary who came out in Haiti is AMAZING. Here are a few photos.

On the way...

Shortly after arrival.  Kind of warm in Haiti???

This woman has lost her grown children, her daughter most recently in the quake, leaving her to care for 3 grandchildren.  Her name is Amelia.  When I told her that Mary was Mary AMELIA Hill, our sweet "mama" got so excited.  She went on and on to me in Kreyol and I couldn't understand much so finally one of our faithful interpreters told us that she felt like Mary and I were her daughters.  She was obviously mourning the loss of her grown children and we were happy to fill that void for a few days.

Just playing and being silly, playing with, and loving on "all de orphans in de whole world" (name that quote).

We all fell in love with Woodley (Amelia's grandson), but he was Mary's special guy, that's for sure.

This is one of my favorite pictures.

Us reading our Ensigns in our matching Kaftans (yeah, everybody was jealous of those bad boys) and playing in the rain. 

On the way home...with a friend we picked up along the way.

I'm so lucky to have Mary in my life. 

Now, for those of you feeling a little sad right now, remember that there is room enough in my heart for all of you.  And if you shave your head for me then I will do a special post about you (sorry, Sarah, you don't count...it was mostly for Mary, although now you love me just as much, right? :)