And The Best Friend Award Goes To …
A birthday tribute from Sandra to Noreen, her best friend, the best anyone could ask for!
Why isn’t there an awards show for best friends? We could call it the Besties Award, or better yet, the Belle Award! A moment where we all get to stand up and say, “Here is my best friend—the person who has shaped my life in ways I never could have imagined.” If there were, I’d be on stage right now, handing Noreen the lifetime achievement award for friendship.
Noreen and I met on my first day at Drexel Burnham in 1984. We worked in the marketing department on the 12th floor at 60 Broad Street. I walked in and there she was—Noreen Delaney. She had long beautiful red hair tied back with a big black bow. Noreen was a confident 20 year old and was going to train me in my new position. She introduced me to everyone on the floor and the other departments. Noreen knew everyone at Drexel and everyone knew Noreen. She was one of my first friends that had an apartment “in the city” with roommates. She was a former Jersey City girl, and I was from Brooklyn. We were two east coast girls who had no idea we were about to embark on a friendship that would span decades.
We have been witnesses to each other’s best and worst days. Noreen has always been the independent, free-spirited friend — the one who tells it like it is. Kind and sweet but fierce, always standing up for the underdog. She was the adventurer, the traveler. After Drexel, she moved to Boston in 1989. I visited often. We would commiserate over our boyfriends, dating, and broken hearts before we found the loves of our lives.
And then, the adventure took her to Chicago. I visited her there, and I still remember saying, “This is a city I could live in.” Then one day, she called me—excited, engaged to Tom. I was in the middle of a breakup and she opened her home to me, helping me relocate to Chicago in 1992. It was a beautiful fall day when I landed in Chicago to make it my permanent home. Just hours earlier, I had said goodbye to my parents at the airport. It was a little dramatic. We were all crying. I was unsure and felt homesick before I even left. But Noreen’s move paved the way for mine. It changed the course of my entire family. Because of Noreen, I met my husband in Chicago. In fact, it was at her bachelorette dinner with her sisters and friends on October 21, 1993, when I met my future husband, Joe, at the bar. For years we said “it was the luck of the Irish sisters” that brought Joe and me together that night. I met new friends in my new city and my sister, her then husband, and my nephew and niece also found their way to Chicago. My sister’s ex husband’s daughter also moved to Chicago. Now the next generation of relationships are happening and Chicago roots continue to expand.
When Noreen joined a Christian church in the 90s and started Bible study, she invited me. Her adventure now included Jesus, and she re-introduced me to Him. We were both raised Catholic, yet we yearned for a closer relationship with Jesus. Jesus and scripture have become a central part of our kinship.
Noreen is a blessing not just to me but to her husband Tom and their children, Brendan and Gracie. We are so excited and are looking forward to Brendan’s wedding later this year.
Through 41 years, we have stood by each other through happy moments, heartbreaks, health scares and family struggles, and everything in between. Noreen is my rock, my ride-or-die, my bestie. Even though we’re hundreds of miles apart, we never feel far. We still talk almost every morning and every evening as she drives to work and as I grab my coffee and walk over to my home office. We laugh. We talk. We reminisce. We pray for each other. During the day (and night) we’re sending each other reels, memes, links to recipes and articles. We don’t have to give explanations because we just know what the other meant.
So today, my beautiful friend, I celebrate you. I still see you as that 20 year old with the long beautiful red hair, walking confidently, ready to conquer the world. And you did.
Happy Birthday, Noreen! I love you! God bless you and keep you always.
EDITOR’S NOTE FROM SANDRA: This past year, working on Belle Curve Stories has shown me just how important storytelling is; people need to hear and read why they are so amazing. Do you have a “Noreen” in your life? We’d love to hear about her. Please write to us with the details.
Sandra- I love your tribute to your dear friend Noreen. Even though we worked together for over five years, I was unaware of her presence in your life. If I were your manager today, we would have a much closer, more genuine friendship and connection. Thank you for being someone who brought a smile to my face and supported me throughout the struggles during our time together. It meant so much to me. Blessings, Claire Kluever