I have known Glenda pretty much all my life. Her Mom, Ina, and my Mom, Joan, were great friends so I would see Glenda occasionally when our Moms visited each other. I remember her as "the girl with the horse".
At one point, Glenda was my babysitter. Once, when my parents returned home with a gift for me, I apparently wasn't as appreciative as I should have been. I can't even remember what the gift was but I do remember that Glenda told me I was a spoiled brat. Her comment has stayed with me and I think that I became more grateful person thanks to Glenda giving me a little "boot in the behind".
Glenda inspired me to escape the expected in life, to travel and to experience what the world had to offer. After she and Terry married, they spent months traveling around Europe and when I heard of their adventures I was absolutely hooked and, in later years, set out to see as much of the world as I could, just like her.
When I graduated high school, Glenda invited me to stay with her and Terry in Edmonton so that I could look for a job and work for a while before I decided what I really wanted to do in life. When I moved on and began a career, we stayed in touch mostly at Christmas and on birthdays. But it was when I visited with her in Mesa that we became especially close. Every morning at 7 a.m., Glenda served coffee and we hugged, visited, discussed current events and solved many of the world's problems. I will miss those mornings.
Such great memories. Glenda was a truly generous person with a shining spirit. I will think of her whenever I see a butterfly.