JULIE ANN STEVENS

My dear friend Susan has many distinctive qualities, the least of which is the one people notice first about her – her physical height.

Standing nearly six feet, with regal posture and a whoopass sense of humor, she was introduced to me in 1975 as the “big center” of our high school danceline.  At 5’8″ and a half, I was placed next to her in line where we remained “hooked up” (in danceline terms) for the next two years.  

Just the other night I rang her doorbell and waited with anticipation for her to open the door and sweep me in with a hearty “come on in Jules!”  The moments outside were brief but enchanted on the six-by-six slab of concrete she transformed into a dreamy Christmas card. 

Right before she opened the door, I looked down and read the simple word, “welcome.”

A beautiful welcome mat.  Such a fitting metaphor for who she is:  a person who makes you feel completely at home before you even get inside.