This Saturday I woke up like any other Saturday and started
to clean. For some strange reason Wanda
Sherard was on my mind. At one point when I went to put something away I even
stopped and picked up a piece of jewelry she had given me when I was 18 years
old. I thought briefly about all the things she had taught me and the effect
she had on my life. I put the items away
and continued cleaning. Little did I know that just a few hours later, memories
of her would become much more precious.
It’s
hard to put into words how much I loved Wanda Sherard. Most of the time when
people pass away we tend to forget every fault they ever had and only remember
the good things. But the different thing about Wanda is that I always thought
she was perfect. Even as a child I knew
she was. Wanda was one of my mother’s close
friends and has been in my life since I can remember. She was always my mom’s “cool”
friend. First, she was just so much fun.
She had no kids but did have a niece my age. This made her seem like she was
from another planet. She was a teacher with NO KIDS! Have you ever heard of such?
I sure hadn’t! She seemed to understand things
that your parents couldn’t! She was
simply beautiful. She wore the coolest clothes. She had awesome nails and
perfect hair. I remember just trying to run my hands thru my hair the same way
she did. (I never got that down) She had cool things in her house that no other
adult had. She had a pool table. I remember thinking my mom would never let us
have a pool table. She had a giant plant
that she decorated for Christmas instead of a tree. It was the coolest thing
ever. To a kid these things seemed to be something you would only see in the
movies or Wanda and Michael’s house! When
she was with adults she would always pay attention to the kids in the room and
made them feel special. You had no doubt that hanging out with Wanda would be
just as fun as playing at a friend’s house and if you had a choice you would ALWAYS
choose Wanda.
When I look back at all the things Wanda taught me it’s
truly amazing. Many things I think about
in my daily routine. I think about my
own daughter and hope there is someone in her life that can make sure she knows
all these life lessons if I fail to teach her. Because she is gone too soon I
want to share just some of the memories and lessons that went along with them.
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| Getting ready for my first pageant |
1. Sometimes it’s OK
to eat off of a paper plate. When I first met Wanda, I came (with my mom)
over to her house after school. I was maybe four years old. Wanda asked if I
wanted a ham sandwich and I eagerly accepted. She placed the sandwich on a
paper plate and put it on the table. I looked at it strangely and whispered
to my mom “What is that?” My mom leaned into me and softly replied “That’s a
paper plate honey” I had never seen one and was not about to eat off of it.
Wanda had to take it off and put it on a real plate before I would eat it! For the rest of my life Wanda told me about
the bratty kid she met that had never seen a paper plate.
2. Always, Always, Always take care of your skin.
This is something Wanda drilled into me. Even once buying me $160.00 in skin
care and having to explain to Michael why I needed this at 18 years old! She always
told me “pulling on my eyes while putting on eyeliner was going to cause
wrinkles” I have worn anti-aging skin care since I was 21 years old and I am
pretty sure this is due to Wanda Sherard and her insistence to take care of my
skin. To this day I cannot go to bed
with my make-up on without hearing her voice in my head telling me "sleeping in
my makeup will age my skin seven years." This is probably not true but I still
never sleep in my make-up and if I do, I wake up looking to see if I look seven
years older than the night before.
3. Stand up straight
and smile. Those of you that know me
know that I am pretty reserved and not always the one to light up a room with a
smile. Wanda always told me to stand up straight and smile. How true this is. A
smile can get you further that you may think.
When you think of Wanda will you ever think of her not smiling? She could
conquer the world with her bright smile.
4. Always put the
first rain of May on your head. Ok,
I know this sounds so weird and I always thought it was too. When I was staying
with Wanda she always made sure that we were sprinkled with the first rain of
May. If the forecast was calling for rain she would put out a container to make
sure she caught the rain so she could later sprinkle it on my head. She always told
me it would bring me good health all year. I felt like I was getting baptized
right there in her kitchen. I am pretty sure Michael went thru this ritual as
well. J Not sure how true it is but you better believe
I get baptized again every May when the first rain comes.
4. The Rolling Stones
are a great band but best when listened to extremely loud and in a convertible.
What more do I need to say about this? She was right. And to this day when “You Can’t Always Get What You Want" comes
on the radio I turn it up and think of Wanda singing it to the top of her lungs
driving down the road. Even today when my daughter wants something I sometimes reply
singing this song. She hates it but that’s ok.
5. The Best way to
keep an oven clean is not to use it. There is an incredible story that goes along
with this that I had forgotten. In the last day two people reminded me of the
time I was trying to cook at Wanda’s house. She had a very expensive oven that
I was trying to operate. I could not get it to do anything! I told Wanda I thought
it was broken and she called a repair man to come take a look. He quickly ascertained the problem. It had
never been plugged in. The best part was that it was SEVEN years old. Let’s just say Wanda never had an oven that
she actually used but she was known for having a very clean one.
6. Its ok to tell a stranger
off as long as you do it the right way. In 1996 Wanda took me, along with her niece, on
a trip to Nassau celebrate our senior year of high school. We went to a very high-end
restaurant. When we arrived, what I could only assume was the owner of the
establishment was a complete jerk. We
were finally seated and had a great meal with excellent service. On the way out the door the same gentleman
that was so rude earlier asked if we enjoyed our evening. Wanda replied “The atmosphere
was great. The food was excellent. She service was perfect, but you, sir, are a
complete ass” She gave him the biggest smile she could as we exited the establishment.
At the time it seemed to me like the perfect line from a movie. I was amazed at
her presence as she left him standing there with his mouth open. I will never
forget it.
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| Wanda and me cuddling. |
Wanda helped shape my life in more ways than I am able to
write about and more than I ever told her. She was there to help me win the school word
contest in third grade. She taught me (and many others) multiplication. (If you
know my math skills you know what a feat this is.) She entered me into beauty pageants.
She let me drink milkshakes out of frozen beer mugs. She was the one who told
me my mom had died and helped me get through it. She’s the one who told my dad
the tooth fairy needed to keep coming. She and Michael helped me get my first
real car and Michael taught me how to drive a stick. She sent me roses when I
was in a play at the Abbeville Opera House. She took me sailing. She let me
borrow her car for prom. She forced me to be in the Cotillion. She always made
me wear sunscreen. She tried to teach
me to waterski. The list goes on and on. I will never forget her and everything she did
for me. I am sure she wasn’t perfect but
I never knew. There is no doubt that
when heaven gained Wanda there was a party like no other. They were
probably playing the Stones (or at least some good beach music) and my mom may have
had a Bloody Mary waiting on her. J
She will be missed by many and there
will be a hole in my heart that I will fill with memories of a woman that loved
me dearly and taught me so much. It will be hard but Wanda’s life was so bright
it won’t take long before the stories outweigh the sorrows and we laugh more
than we cry. That in itself is more than
we can say for most.
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| Me, my Mom, and Wanda. I love her overalls and my plastic cape! |
