Life Changes

It’s funny how things affect us. I had my first inkling of what death truly meant as a child when my cat Quincy died. I was inconsolable. At least for the first few days and my parents berated me for showing my grief in this manner. My next experience with death was my grandfather. We were close but with so many family members losing their minds it seemed like someone had to be the voice of reason. So I kept a stiff upper lip until I was alone.

It wasn’t until my late twenties when death took a life close to me once again. My husband passed leaving me a widow at twenty-nine years of age. There have been other deaths between then and now that I am nearing the half a century mark. The latest has probably had almost the same about of impact as my husband.

Miss Sally was a dear friend. To be honest she was the mom that never had. We met at knitting group and something drew us together. We acted like children in cahoots, showing each other new things and having new experiences together. I spent the better part of the last few years taking care of her. I had something with her that I didn’t have with the others.

I will miss my friend dearly. She was a large part of my life for many years. The biggest difference for me was how she died. She was in her own home, sleeping. She had her affairs in order as she didn’t want to be burden to anyone. Especially me because I was her caretaker. Miss Sally didn’t have any children or any close family. As our friendship developed we became a family unit ourselves. Family is not in the blood it’s in the heart.