Our lifelong friendship was like the movie “A Band of Brothers” - except our bond was not forged through shared combat experience; rather, we were a group of young girls whose history spanned decades - lifelong friends who’d grown up together from early childhood in small town Texas  

We were fellow Brownies, Girl Scouts, Rainbow Girls; attended scout camps, birthday parties and slumber parties together. We laughed, cried, and cared deeply about each other – the best of friends. 

Eventually, college and marriage placed different demands on our friendship; for example, I married a military officer whose career took us far from home. I genuinely struggled with this aspect of living a military lifestyle. Homesickness was a frequent visitor. I often felt alone and disconnected, even I the midst of a crowd. I’m not saying I didn’t love being a wife to Frank and mother to Trey and David, I did. But just about the time I felt I could plug in & add value to our community, we’d receive orders to move again, and the cycle of disconnection and uncertainty would repeat all over again. Our boys and I would go home each summer to visit family and friends. This ‘band of sisters’ and I would enjoy overnight slumber parties, just like we did as teens. For all of us, these special occasions created treasured memories.

I wasn’t aware of the toll our transient lifestyle had on me; in fact, if you had threatened to shoot me at midnight, I could not have articulated it.

We were half through our two-year tour to Saudi Arabia, when that summer, we had a high school reunion planned. Trust me. It was like ‘‘soul food’ to visit so many old friends. One of my childhood friends, Faye was also home for the reunion. Prior to the event. we planned a quiet dinner in Houston (as well as slumber party) to catch up on our lives.

I’ll never forget how our dinner conversation unfolded. We were sitting at a round dinner table lightheartedly sharing, laughing, reminiscing…when Faye related a funny story from days gone by. She recalled how us girls had gone down to a “haunted house” at Morgan’s Point (a deserted, dilapidated old house that sat on a slight hill near the opening to the Houston Ship Channel (where we had no business hanging out.) 

Once inside, we startled several vagrant men lying around in various states of stupor from booze and sleep, who immediately aroused with the disruption of young, giggly girls on the premises. We immediately took off running in different directions toward our cars parked at the base of the hill! As Faye told the story, she could hardly catch her breath from laughing at how she remembered me running down that hill, hair flying, feet far out in front of me, scared out of my wits!  She recalled what a funny, lighthearted girl I was throughout our youth, but suddenly, she stopped laughing. She turned and looked directly at me with all seriousness and asked, “Dorothy, where did that funny girl go?” 

What a perceptive question! 

Her genuine inquiry pierced my mind and settled in my heart! For years hence, I reflected upon and probed this question, recalling how my favorite aunt in Tyler loved to predict I’d likely be a comedian when I grew up.

Faye’s piercing question became a lightning rod and turning point for me. It prompted me to examine…just where did that funny girl go?

I welcome your insight and input: www.dorothyguybonvillain.com. 

#militaryspouses, #militaryfamilies, #military, #love, #rolemodel, #service, #loss, #resilience, #kindness, #warrior, #home, #commitment, #unwaiveringfaith, #oldfriends, #family, #determination, #funnygirl, #lifefriends