The Golden Beginning

Starting this project about the Golden Girls was as easy as breathing and has been an absolute delight to produce. Wrapping up this project has become an interesting challenge. There are countless subjects yet to be covered and with any luck someday they will arise. These last few posts were of course to provide you an escape, but also (selfishly) to see if indeed there's a full-length book to be made of this, and do you know what? There is. (Surprise, surprise.)

Research for this project has further instilled and gilded my respect and appreciation for the actresses and the production team. The lessons that they taught us of endurance, family, hardships, and the value of friendship are timeless and everlasting. They'll fortify our capacity to live and to love if we heed the lessons and apply them to our daily lives.

In their own lives, the actresses applied the lessons of strength and friendship. Estelle Getty was referred to as every "gay person's" mother, being an ENORMOUS advocate for gay rights and for AIDS research. Betty White has done more for animal rights than most could boast, let alone imagine. Bea Arthur too was active in animal rights, but she was regarded as a loving mother and a wonderful friend. And Rue McLanahan returned her gifts of performing to students throughout her life. These women are not just heroes because of the women the portrayed on television, they are heroes because they were and remain to be, some of the most wonderful contributors to society that our last century produced.

If you're interested in learning a bit more about the girls and the show, I highly recommend watching the Golden Girls Reunion documentary: 

Since the end of the documentary, we have lost Estelle, Bea, and Rue. The documentary was made shortly after Estelle's death. Sophia was regarded as everyone's favorite girl and dear Estelle, she truly was a beautiful soul. Her fellow actresses held her in the most wonderful regards and she was will be remembered not as a "mean old lady," but as Betty White said, "The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us." (LA Times) I'd like to add, that so too will be Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose. The girls will live on forever. We will always hold them in our hearts, and thank them for being our friends. 

Writing about the Golden Girls in these last few weeks has been an absolute delight. It's been quite fun to blend my favorite pass times to share with you. As it turns out, and probably not surprisingly, there's still an awful lot to say. If you're interested in reading more about the Girls and how they impacted society, PLEASE let me know. There's a decent project awaiting to be written here, but I have to know that there is interest before I begin. Whether you choose to leave me a note below or if you share this blog with your friends via your social media, I will be most grateful. This truly is a treat for me to write to you, and regardless what you choose to do, of course, this is not the end. There's plenty more stories where the last few years have come from and you better believe, you'll see more words a'comin' next week!

Until next week, Dear Readers.

Your Humble Author,
S. Faxon