Good Friends are Hard to Find....

http://obits.syracuse.com/obituaries/syracuse/obituary.aspx?n=colleen-h-mastine&pid=155873710

Good friends are hard to find. And even harder to lose.

I write this with a heavy heart as I mourn the passing of a truly kind, loyal and selfless person. Those descriptors may sound cliche, yet anyone who knew Colleen Hassett Mastine knows these are simply the facts.

Col has been part of my life for 20 years or so and had a heart that was always giving. There are not many people we can sincerely say that about.

She didn't have the easiest life but she was a fighter and survivor and a great role model.

Col had a way of gently twisting my arm to get me to do the right things. She was a genius when it came to convincing me to volunteer my PR skills on behalf of the community causes she held dear. She introduced me to the moms who fought to establish Casey's Place - a place where developmentally challenged kids can go to have fun with other kids while their parents get a needed break from the rigors of caregiving. Helping them get this wonderful place in the public eye was a lifechanging experience for which I am forever grateful to Colleen.

I had the honor of working with her in the State Senate, and as a constituent services director she worked tirelessly to help seniors, veterans, moms of disabled kids, and anyone else who needed a champion.

She was a beamingly proud and dedicated mom, grandma, aunt and sister. Though I have never met them, I feel like I know Erin and Casey and Sean and all of their kids. Nothing lit up Col's face more than when she was talking about her family, her Irish roots or her dad.

Colleen has been there for me and with me like few others throughout my adult life. Most recently during the my mom's illness and following her death.

To say that she will be missed is an understatement. We lost a good one this week. And though I am not a religious person in any way, I will break from form and offer up a prayer in honor of Col. It would make her smile that she once again was able to quietly twist my arm to do something good.

"In the Human Habitiat...." there's nothing like bad advice.

After hearing Amy Dickinson of "Ask Amy" speak at an event for women entrepeneurs last fall, I became a faithful reader of her column in the Post Standard. So, her column this morning was extremely disappointing. In response to a reader's question about an issue between a father and daughter, here was part of her answer:

"In the human habitat, there is nothing quite like the wounded adult daughter. She can sulk, manipulate and punish. And she can keep it up for years..."

That just really rubbed me the wrong way. It seems narrow-minded, sexist and just plain jerky? Am I over-analyzing this? What do you think?