Good bye, Sophia Petrillo…

Picture it.  Gladstone, 1985, my mother’s living room.  On any given Friday night, you would find my mother, my sister and myself curled up on the couch, with a bowl of popcorn between us waiting for the latest installment of “The Golden Girls” to begin.  While I was too young to understand the sarcastic jokes and sexual undertones of the show, I recognized the friendship these 4 women shared.  To this day, I am not ashamed to say that “The Golden Girls” is my all-time favorite show.  I swear, I’ve seen every episode, and I love catching the late re-runs on the Lifetime Channel.  I own seasons 1-4 (and don’t understand why Cody hasn’t gotten me the other seasons!), and when I want comfort, I always turn to “The Golden Girls”.  “The Golden Girls” showed women that life after 50 doesn’t mean that your life is over, it just means that a new chapter has begun.  If I ever loose Cody, I know that Sarah and I will become our own version of the Golden Girls.  You may not find us in Miami, but I’m sure somewhere, we will be together, in a house, sharing our lives with our closest girlfriends, and encouraging each other to live our lives to the fullest. 

So with saddness I must announce that Estelle Getty, the loveable pint-sized actress who played Sophia Petrillo (always my favorite character), has passed away.  Ms. Getty had been sick for a number of years and so in the end I’m sure that she is happier now, but a part of me is saddened.  There will never be a Golden Girls reunion, and a part of history is lost with her passing.