Lisa

As we near the end of the year, we become reflective about our lives and events and sometimes our friends.

Lisa, aka The Villas Girl, is a very special person.

I met her fifteen years ago when she came to work in the Planning and Zoning Office, where I had been working for some time. It was the first time I had anyone working with me there, except for the Department Head. The Township was growing fast. It was no longer the sleepy, semi-rural town it once was. Land development was booming.

From the start, Lisa and I worked well together. She was a fast learner and never hesitated to take on anything new. She had good common sense and good instincts. Her attitude toward the members of the public who appeared at our office window all day long was friendly and helpful - a refreshing change from that of many civil servants who seem to feel the public is made up of fools whose presence is just to annoy the workers. Lisa generally greets people with a smile and asks, "How are you doing today?", with genuine interest. An amazing number of contractors, farmers, realtors, etc. would tell us when their business was done, that they wanted to thank us for not treating them as they were treated in other municipalities. Lisa and I both took pride in that.

Despite our differing backgrounds, Lisa and I found many interests in common, similar attitudes toward people and work related situations, and we continued to get along very well.

Nine years ago (Can it really be that long?) I retired. I sold my house and moved to a much smaller one. I was very pleased to find that my new home is on the street where Lisa lives. It was on what was at that time a quiet little block, with most houses standing vacant all winter, owned by "summer people". It was good to have a friend living nearby.

Lisa is much younger than I. I have come to think of her as another daughter. We share a love of nature and enjoy exploring nature trails and sites together, and share an interest in photography. I delight in her talent with a camera. She has become a truly fine photographer. But she doesn't like having her own picture shown. (She is there, at the end of the path.)

We talk almost every day, which means much to me, since half of my family lives far away, and most of my old friends are no longer living. And I love hearing all the news from the Township offices - good and bad. She calls me sometimes to rant about some new situation there - political or personal - and I enjoy hearing that too, since I know the personalities involved and understand what she is dealing with. They were once my problems.

As I grow older and my health has deteriorated, Lisa has been so helpful and concerned. She has "rescued" me often when I have been in need of it, or have done something stupid (like locking my keys in my car).

I have seldom known anyone so honest and loyal, hard-working and conscientious as Lisa. Nor as loving. She is a natural care-giver. She has looked after her family and friends with great devotion, and expends the same devotion on her pets. And me. I love the girl.