A Friend of Mine

A Friend for 65 years, starting as neighbors when we were 12. She, Joyce passed away the first day of Spring, yesterday. She found out just last month that she had cancer. She could live another three or four months on Chemo but if not was given a week or a month at most.  She chose to go home and die. Brave woman. She lived a little over two weeks. I write about this on my blog because of the way it has affected me.

 She lived in N.J. most of her life while I lived in either Florida or Tennessee.  This prevented us from having any coffee on the front porch type relationship, but we always knew we could phone or email or write to each other. She had a stroke at one time too and it was hard for her to talk where I could understand her so we limited those calls.  Knowing she was bed ridden now I phoned her daughter and was able to talk a little too her.  So glad I did for a week later she passed away.

I am wondering why I have been feeling so sad at losing such a friend. Not the normal sadness one would feel but something else.  There was a period in our lives that we didn't see each other for years as our children were growing up and we worked.  Just too busy I guess. After we retired would meet every so often to renew our friendship and compare us aging together.

That friendship was there always.  She was a year older than me, 78, so maybe I realize how fragile life is at this point in our lives. We would compare our aches and pains and medications as old people do, yet the end of life seemed still so far away.

Our young years as children were etched in both our minds as I would email letters to her reminiscing about those years.  I was told how much she enjoyed them.  Writing to her about school, boys we dated, the seashore we hung out at.  A lot of old memories. I could picture everything we did in my mind. It seems that that part of my life was gone, with her.

 Now, am I on the end of my life?, I kept thinking.  Not to get so morose about life and death but one has to think of those things occasionally as this event has shown me. People pass away at this age but this was

so sudden for me to fathom.  I will live with her loss as will her wonderful family other friends.  I will start to share with my children, my childhood, my friend Joyce.

Photo taken in New York after graduation from High School . Joyce is on the far left and I am on the far right  across from her.  We were all either 17 or 18.