[CyberTOPS] Tops Friendship Story

[BOB JOAN PIRTLE]

Great story Mary, best part is you're my friend to I met Mary in the TOPS chat
room. We have been friends ever since I hope to meet Mary in person someday.
Joan P.
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: MARY E FREDERICK<mailto:mfrederick10 at msn.com>
  Sent: Friday, July 03, 2009 1:00 PM
  Subject: [CyberTOPS] Tops Friendship Story


  This is the story I sent into Tops magazine in Oct. '08. It finally got
  printed in this month's magazine.....! Mary
  Sent: Friday, October 10, 2008 8:58 AM
  Subject: Tops Friendship Story






                                       TOPS FRIENDSHIP STORY

       This is a Tops love story that has spanned hundreds of miles, has
lasted
  well over 25 yrs., and has endured, years of separation. It isn't a typical
  "guy meets girl" type of love story, but it is a love story nontheless!
       Way back in 1980, I was an active member of Tops and I loved it. I had
  lost 103 lbs. and reached my goal. I even won the Better Improvement
Contest
  and was honored at IRD in San Antonio, Texas. What an honor!
       One day, soon after losing my Kops status and really being down in the
  dumps, I was looking in the Tops News. I saw an article about a girl who
had
  won the Kops Charm and Beauty contest. Her name is Karol Phipps and she
lives
  in Utah. I liked her story for it helped me and I felt a strong connection
to
  her even though I had never met or spoken to her. In the days following,
she
  stayed on my mind, so I contacted Vera Novak, my area captain at the time,
and
  asked if there was a way I could get in touch with Karol. Vera took my
address
  and sent it to her so she could write to me. We got to know each other
through
  the next few letters and I found out in one of them, that she had felt the
  same connection from reading my story in the TOPS News and letters to her.
  Thus began a lifelong friendship of love and support.
       For the next 2 or 3 years, we were devout penpals. We wrote each other
  faithfully. Back then, we didn't have email, so we happily relied on
"snail"
  mail and an occasional phone call. That connection grew stronger and we
grew
  to love each other as if we lived right next door! Perhaps the distance
  actualy aided in our friendship because we didn't take each other for
granted
  as sometimes happens when you see someone every day. Anyway, we kept up on
our
  correspondence and eventually we just knew we would meet somewhere. Soon,
we
  came upon the answer, RETREAT! - the perfect solution! We both made plans
to
  attend a Tops Retreat at Pacific Palisades, Ca. in February 1983. What an
  amazing week we had together. My friend Vera Novak came through for me
again,
  and arranged for Karol and I to room together, which is something not
usually
  done at Retreats. Over those few days we were inseperable! Where Mary was -
so
  was Karol - and visa versa. We stayed up late into the night gabbing our
heads
  off, you'd think we never met before, and we became even closer knowing our
  time together was to be short. When we had to part at the end of the week
  together, we promised to keep in touch. We also went to Disneyland that
same
  weekend with our families where we spent a great day together at play.
       It wasn't long after that amazing week that my life completely fell
  apart, I went through a difficult divorce and plummeted into severe
  depression. I cut myself off from the outside world, including Tops and
even
  my dear friend, Karol.
       As time went on and I slowly began to heal, I thought of Karol often.
But
  had thrown out or lost all remnants of my previous life and I didn't know
how
  to contact her again. Time marches on, as it always does, and in 1999 I
  remarried and began to rebuild my life with my new husband, John. I also
  rejoined Tops in 2005 and shortly after that, a miracle happened again. I
was
  reading the Tops News (Love that magazine!) and who do you think was there?
  That's right, it was Karol, my long, lost friend. She had been in Tops all
  those years and now she had won the Greatest Improvement Contest. I was so
  excited about it. I immediately called Vera and asked if I could have Karol
  contact me by email. She got a hold of her for me and we have been writing
to
  each other ever since. What a wonderful day it was when we got back
together
  via email this time. Karol had tried to write for several months, but my
  address had changed. She never forgot me and thought of me ofte n over the
  next 20 years. We've been close friends since. We write each other a lot
and
  now instead of cutting myself off when I get depressed, I email my friend
who
  is always there with a cheerful word and a big "Chin Up". She is such a
  support to me and I know I help her too. The love we have for each other
never
  fails to buoy us both up. We call each other "Sis" because we are as close
as
  2 sisters ever were, even though hundreds of miles are between us. Karol is
  now an Area Captain in Utah and a very devoted Tops  member!
       We haven't been able to actually see face to face because,
unfortunately,
  finances won't allow it at this time, so I haven't seen Karol in over 25
  years. We both long for the day when we can look into each other's eyes,
when
  we can put our arms around each other and stay up til the wee hours of the
  morning and gab our heads off again. We pray for that day to come soon, so
we
  don't have to look at just photograps of each other.
       We know that our friendship was meant to be. That through a miracle,
  Tops, and God, have brought us together - not only once - but twice!!! And
we
  are grateful beyond words.
       Thanks again Tops - for everything. And for all the wonderful friends
I
  have made through you.
                                                             Mary Frederick
  _______________________________________________
  CyberTOPS -- Where Friends Meet for a 'Net Loss'
  http://www.cybertops.net/index.htm<http://www.cybertops.net/index.htm>

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