We have had a van from Fairfield/Vacaville to Richmond since 1984 (26 years continuously with the exception of 2 years).  We have had different co-coordinators, different drivers, different passengers and different vans.  One passenger has been there since the very beginning, Jeanette.  Jeanette is in her early 50’s now.  There are nine of us, all women, all between the ages 50-55, except for the Baby Jackie and the Mother Lillie.  The baby is 40 with young children, she keeps us entertained and reminds us of how wonderful it is to be middle aged with no kids. We don’t know exactly the age of the Mother but she looks very young and attractive and maybe somewhere in her 60s. The Mother tells us how we should treat our spouses, how we should treat other people; how we should do everything, she reminds us that we don’t know everything and are still learning.   

With seven of us going through the big M; we make up quite the group.  Our conversations range from the best recipe, to the cutest grandbaby anecdote, to the most annoying spouse.   Most importantly we strive to keep the van temperature comfortable.  We are HOT, we take off our coats, we turn the heat down, then we are cold, we put on our coats and turn the heat up, then we are HOT again.  But the greatest blessing is that we are all friends, we get along, we love each other, we laugh at each other; we spend 350 hours a year sitting hip to hip or within a foot of each other.  We know each other very well.