Mrs. Custeau

Mrs. Custeau

When I was growing up, I practically lived at my best friend Michelle's house. When her Mom died this July 2010, I thought about all of those times. I had so many great memories there. I remember sitting in their kitchen on Sunset Avenue, convening around that table and talking about all of life's mysteries: college, boys in general, but specifically those handsome brothers who lived across the street from the Custeaus, and, of course, faith. This family was so different from my family, but I loved everything about being there: their passionate debates, their humorous anecdotes from Dad Custeau's life on the road as a fertilizer salesman, their exotic home cooking and all that they could do. Dad Custeau and Michelle's brothers, my brothers by adoption, Chuck and Tom had their heads under the hoods of their various vehicles (Old Blue, The General...) every weekend when I was there. I am so blessed to have this time with this wonderful family because they too helped to shape me and my perceptions of life. I discovered that I wanted to always learn more about the things I didn't know. I am sure that I bragged to my surrogate family once or twice after I had taken a Continuing Education course on how to do your own tune-ups and had completed my first tune-up. I could sling car lingo with the best of them... well, for that month anyway.

They each had their own gifts and talented they were. Mom Custeau, who would giggle around with us for hours, was the musical one in the family, I think. She was a gifted pianist, and their home was always filled with music. They must have been appalled when I came into their lives... not only can I not sing on key, I am hopeless when it comes to singing the rights words to songs. Yikes! Later, this infectious musical habit became a permanent part of my daily routines whether I am at home or in a car. I am rarely without music. And animals... I was in love with their furry family members. When I moved to Essex in 1978, I was a poor allergic, whimpy thing. By the time I graduated high school, I had fully built up an immunity to animal dander by living at the Custeaus so much. Now, my own family has had and will continue to have many furry friends in our future. Yes, they even sleep in bed with us!

This connection was also truly a learning experience for me when Michelle and I used to study together in high school. I was used to doing my work in silence, sitting at the dining room table and having all of my study items organized out in front of me. My muse Michelle, on the other hand, would study while lying across her bed with the music booming, feet swinging constantly as she would jump up, change the music and sample new songs for me. That was distracting enough while trying to study at Michelle's house. Trying to keep track of those handsome neighbors' comings and goings was even more of a distraction.


Life is like that isn't it. We come in contact with people who leave impressions on us; they leave a little bit of themselves with us, whether we recognize it at the time or not. It really does take a village to raise a child. I only wished I had thanked my villagers more at the time.

I love and will miss you, Mom Custeau. Thank you for everything you have done for me through the years. Thank you for giving me the best friend anyone could have ever asked for. Her compassion, her intelligence, her intuitiveness and even her creepy Vezina premonitions have enriched my life in more ways that I could have ever hoped for. Mom Custeau, may you rest in God's eternal peace!