Sally's life was hard.  It only consisted of work and taking care of her baby. She had no time for friends or church or anything else.  When she had a few minutes she tried to catch up on a little bit of sleep so she'd have the energy to do all the things she had to do.  She was a good mother.  She loved Shirley with all her heart and tried to make her a happy and loving child.  There was never any money for many little extras for the baby but she managed to buy her a few toys and clothes from Goodwill.  She also received a welfare check, the amount depending on how much she earned at the factory.  And there were food stamps that helped a lot.

Sally was always embarrassed about being on Welfare and not being able to do things for her baby girl.  But if love made a person rich, those two were rich!  They were as close as mother and daughter could be.
When Shirley was about 4 years old, I started a new job at a box factory, and Sally was there to show me the ropes.  We became friends and as we worked together, she began to confide in me.  She said I was the only real friend she'd ever had.  I came to love her like a sister.

As the days and months passed, I begin to realize that Sally had something not many people had.  She was what others might term "mousy".  She didn't dress well, her hair was always just hanging straight and and sort of stringy.  She didn't have friends, except for me and everyone, even my own sister would ask me what I saw in Sally.  But you see, I never judged her for how she looked I had learned that she had a heart of love and if people would of given her a chance they would of found one of the best friends they could ever have.

I'd drop her off after work and she'd get right into fixing a meal for her and her daughter and then sit for as long as it took to help her daughter with her school work.  By now Shirley was in first grade and Sally wanted her child to be more educated and have more things than she ever did.  She wouldn't waste a penny on anything for herself but she tried to keep Shirley looking cute.  Mind you, I never made much money either but I only had myself to worry about so I tried to help out when I could.

Sometime on Sundays I'd invite them to my house for a cook out or for dinner and just a day of fun.  I had a big yard where Shirley could play and Sally and I would listen to music and talk for hours and hours.  The only problem was that when I'd make the invitation it was an invitation to church then dinner at my house.  She'd always say, "no, just pick me up after church."  Sally wouldn't talk about the Lord.  She carried so much guilt about having a child out of wedlock she wouldn't face the Lord any more.

I never gave up though, I always talked as much as I could about the Lord before she'd turn a deaf ear and ask me to take her and Shirley home.  I finally learned if I wanted to keep her as a friend and ever get through to her about the Lord, I'd have to stop trying so hard and just love her and live my life in front of her so she'd know how God always took care of me and how He always met my needs.

I guess I never realized that she was actually noticing.  Before we'd eat, I always said grace and she would always bow her head and tell Shirley to do that too.  Shirley was beginning to grow into a beautiful pre-teen.  It was getting to the place where she noticed that other girls had better clothes than her and that they bought their lunches at school and she was still carrying a bag lunch.  I remember what a cold PA winter it was that year and Shirley was wearing a Spring coat to school, it broke my heart.  I knew that if I bought her a coat I'd have to do without some things myself that I needed.  But the more I thought of it, the more I knew I had to do it so I called Sally and asked her if she and Shirley would like to go for a drive with me that Sat. and of course she always looked forward to our outings.  She still didn't have a car and I felt blessed to be able to get them out of the house once in a while.

I got there and pounded on the horn and they came running out of their little house and got into my car.  "Where are we going this time?"  Sally asked, and Shirley giggled and said,  "out to Aunt Calo's house I bet, again.  Can we have hot dogs again?"  I told them no, that this time I had a surprise for them.

I started driving to the mall and didn't tell them what I had in mind.  I'd been saving my money, a few dollars at a time until I had enough for a coat for Shirley, if we took advantage of the bargain basement sales at Penny's.  We went in and I headed towards Penny's and Sally wanted to know what we were doing there and since when could either of us afford to shop at Penny's.  I told her I'd seen a sale paper and since the winter was about over the coats were on sale and I wanted to get one for Shirley.  We headed downstairs where there was some beautiful little girls coats on sale for half price.  Shirley went wild running from one wrack to another trying on coats, asking if this one was cheap enough for me to afford.  Finally she come upon one that made her look like a little snow angel.  It was white with some dark added in, a hood with a fuzzy border around her face.  She'd rub that coat and say, "One day I will have a coat like this one."

I checked with the clerk and found out that the coat was 60% off.  That made it almost exactly what I had to spend.  The look on her face was worth many times over what I spent on that coat.  I noticed a tear on Sally's face when she looked at her little angel in that coat.  She just couldn't believe anyone could care enough about her and her child to do something like that.  She seemed so grateful and humbled.  I said, "Sally, what are friends for?  If the situation were reversed, I'm sure you'd do the same thing for me."

There were many times that Sally paid me back more than what little sacrifice that was made in buying that coat, she was always there for me when I needed to talk, I was a very lonely lady.  I'd had a bad marriage and wasn't interested at the time in having a relationship with a man but having a best friend was just what I needed.  Some of my happiest memories of Sally was when we'd pack a picnic lunch and pick up Shirley from the playground and just drive until we saw a place that we could spread out a blanket and just spend the evening watching Shirley play and talking for hours about our hopes dreams.  If one of us hurt, the other one hurt too.  If one of us was happy, we were both happy.  We became such close friends, we could even finish each others sentences.  I had never before had a friend as close as Sally, and haven't since had one.  My memories of Sally are some of my most precious possessions.  Memories of laughing until tears ran down our cheeks, or crying together when one of us was sad.  Ours was a friendship surely made in heaven.

After years of spending my time and energy on Sally and Shirley, I received news that my mother was sick and might die.  She needed someone to take care of her.  Since I didn't have a family of my own, I was the obvious one to quit my job and go home.  Sally and I had a tearful good bye before I left.  But we kept in touch with letters and an occasional phone call.  I knew there would never be another Sally in my life.