I am tearful and sad and angry right now...
A female friend of over thirty years died last weekend from breast cancer. Today, her ashes were scattered quietly by her husband and daughters in a state faraway from here and I could not attend, which has me a bit heart broken. I did talk with her girls and their father this morning but that is not the same as hugging them or saying one's goodbyes in a place adored so completely by their mother.
A chance encounter led to an improbable friendship that spanned three decades. It was I, an equally unlikely matchmaker, who suggested she meet another friend and I for dinner. That friend became her husband and has been, by all accounts, the love of her life. They have two gorgeous girls, now adults. The oldest is named for me. Though we lived distant to one another for most of our adult lives, it seemed that we were always on the phone until six weeks ago when pain and illness took their final upper hand, forcing us to say our final goodbyes.
God speed, Pauline. I will never forget you. Thank you for all the laughter and sharing.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Busy Weekend...
Another friend and I planned and had people from a former workplace in on Saturday for an informal memorial to our friend who died of cancer last month. Aside from laughter, food, nutty photos, and some penned remarks and memories from geographically distant friends, the handful who gathered in my flat chatted amicably on an assortment of topics.
The friend who planned this event with me brought over a potted bush we will plant in her garden. Though the exact name escapes me, the blooms are a peachy chocolate flower while the buds resemble small, dark penises, something our now deceased friend found funny and used to play a risque trick on her at work once upon a time.
The entire gathering took two hours from start to finish and was rather anticlimactic, at least to me. Because our friend had no money, his next-of-kin left his disposition to the State. There was no funeral, no other memorial, no obituary. I was happy to provide food and open my doors to those who will miss him.
Sunday found me in the stacks of the local library with my head buried in a book...
Have you ever wondered about the genesis of the eight-hour workday, unemployment insurance, Social Security? If you said FDR, you would only be half right. Although Social Security began on his watch, it was the only female member of his cabinet who pushed to bring these things into law. Her name was Frances Perkins and she lived during interesting times...
As do we.
The friend who planned this event with me brought over a potted bush we will plant in her garden. Though the exact name escapes me, the blooms are a peachy chocolate flower while the buds resemble small, dark penises, something our now deceased friend found funny and used to play a risque trick on her at work once upon a time.
The entire gathering took two hours from start to finish and was rather anticlimactic, at least to me. Because our friend had no money, his next-of-kin left his disposition to the State. There was no funeral, no other memorial, no obituary. I was happy to provide food and open my doors to those who will miss him.
Sunday found me in the stacks of the local library with my head buried in a book...
Have you ever wondered about the genesis of the eight-hour workday, unemployment insurance, Social Security? If you said FDR, you would only be half right. Although Social Security began on his watch, it was the only female member of his cabinet who pushed to bring these things into law. Her name was Frances Perkins and she lived during interesting times...
As do we.
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