Beautiful People Profile...A friend for the Ages: Dr. Bernice D. Griffith of Fairfax, VA

"When nature (twilight) clips her curtain down and pins it with a star, remember that you have a friend, though you may wander far." It took me many, many years after my teacher signed my autograph book, paraphrasing and quoting Author Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), to figure out just who the "friend" was that she had written about! I was only nine years old at the time, and I had no clue! Fast forward to many years later when I learned the TRUTH about the "friend." Yet, without a Soul to put to that "friendship," you will indeed wander far. It took me years to know the TRUTH about the friendship I have with God, and also to know the full TRUTH about the Spirit of Dr. Bernice D. Griffith, a friend I've had for "ages." You see, I met Bernice the first day of high school, Bishops High School, in Guyana, South America, where we were both born and reared. {Bernice is pictured, here and below, as a senior, in full "Bishops" attire!} There we were just *10 years old. We were getting ready for the "Big Time." We had both passed the British-administered examination, Common Entrance, to be allowed into the elite All-Girls School: Bishops. Competition for entrance was fierce, so if you'd made it to Bishops, you certainly felt you had a right to hold your head HIGH. We did. Both Bernice and I were excited to be joining our many other classmates in celebrating our victory on that first day. But she and I locked hands in a solidarity and friendship that has remained our bond despite the "passage of time" and our individual and discrete interests. Over the five years in high school, Bernice and I stuck "thicker than blood," until I left to begin my life in the United States. {Bernice is pictured in Center, plaid pants and black top, next to Che' on right. This was taken on Che's departure day at the Guyana, "Tamerhi," airport. Other teenage friends surround her on that day. The little guy is Che's nephew, Rocky, then two years old.} It was hardly the end of our friendship. Through those early years of separation, we persevered through the distance and trials of life and all our ups and downs, until Bernice eventually married and moved to the United States. Our paths took divergent courses, but the heart knows what it knows. In recent years we reconnected. Today my "little" friend, Bernice, is now Dr. Bernice D. Griffith, and a top radiologist at an organization in Fairfax, Virginia. Bernice D. Griffith, M.D., has achieved much success in her years in the United States, first graduating from Mount Sinai Medical School, New York, New York. She completed her residency in Radiology at NSUH/Cornell, Manhasset, New York, and received a Fellowship at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Throughout her years of accomplishments, one thing has remained constant about Bernice Griffith: her commitment to family, friends and truly the world at large. The only thing that supersedes that is...her LOVE of God! Bernice is the type of person whose faith runs like a "deep river!" She is not the type to spout scripture, or even claim to know God, except when it comes to FAITH, TRUST and LOVE! From the time we were "little girls," Bernice always has been the person who has reached out and grabbed hold of the "underdog." She always has been committed to "causes" that involve helping peope, and she's always willing to extend herself for those less fortunate. As for faith: have a problem or an issue... and the first words out of her mouth: TRUST GOD! Today, Bernice has fully evolved into the caring, loving and compassionate individual that she always had the tendencies and inclinations to be. She has lived a life of faith where God, working through her, has moved mountains...not only for her but also for others who have been blessed to cross paths with her. {Bernice all "decked out" for a teenage date.} Without a doubt, I'm delighted to know this beautiful, blessed woman. She shares laughter with a freshness and purity; she also is able to see beyond her world into yours. Bernice is one of those rare individuals who, as a child, had an "adult's eye," as she surveyed the world. She always knew the "right thing to do" to keep balanced in the midst of challenges. She always kept those "adult eyes," fastened on how, where and when, she could be of greatest comfort to those around her, and those many, many miles away. The world of patients who cross her path in her work as a radiologist truly are blessed by her commitment to EXCELLENCE in all that she does. Should you, as a patient, have a "positive read" on an Xray, I imagine Bernice telling you, right in that medical setting: Trust God! Bernice is divorced with one daughter, Candace. For her daughter, Bernice is a model of love, compassion and sharing. Candace now has the same tendencies to mirror these traits. For her sisters, Jacqueline and Bonita, she fills more than the role of "Big Sister": she is the mother and the sister/friend. Although our worlds may never again intersect in quite the same way as before, our hearts will always be interlocked in friendship and solidarity. I'll always know that "when nature (truly) clips her curtain down and pins it with a star," I do have a friend ... always "radiating" light and love towards me... Happy Birthday, friend. You are a friend for the ages: rare, loyal and true! (Bernice's birthday is on Wednesday, August 12! Send her birthday wishes!) May you continue to serve the world with the excellence and perfection you always strive for in ALL that you do! Namaste', Che' *NOTE: In Guyana, South America and many other former British colonies, children start Kindergarden at the age of three. We then are able to move into High School at a much younger age.