Life can be a bitch for many
reasons, one of which is that there is no escaping our own deaths, nor is there
any escape from the bereavement that is rained upon us by the deaths of others.
Part of me feels like it is not
right for me to post about Joanne because others knew her far better than I
did. She babysat my brother-in-law and his three siblings when they were kids,
and became such an important family friend that she remained a big part of
their lives, and attended their children’s birthday parties, all the way to the end…Nevertheless, Erika and I have known
her for years and even vacationed with her on Key West . I admire her and feel it would be a
dishonor to let her passing go without comment.
Joanne’s memorial service was
yesterday morning and something about it was a sight to behold. Her favorite
color was turquoise and many, many people wore it to the service.
None of those somber black outfits to commemorate her life -- people knew she was cheeky, not dour, and they knew she
loved turquoise so they dressed themselves in her honor.
The bad news is that Earth has
lost an angel. The good news is that Heaven has gained one, and she will be
waiting to greet her loved ones when they complete their journey to eternity.
Here she is (with my
brother-in-law’s father) on that Key
West trip from November 2005:
Rest in peace…
1 comment:
A great tribute, John, to your friend. The world needs more people like her...and like you ...for your kindness to others. I do not understand why the Lord said to me, "I'm healing you." and allows folks like your friend to die, but I'm thankful for the healing that I'm enjoying now. I'll be walking the 100 mile wilderness of the AT in Maine next month! All approved by the doctor.
Post a Comment