Blessings On Your Journey

It was at a book club meeting that I met the sweet lady. She had white hair, fair skin, a youthful face and brought interesting comments about the books we were discussing. When I fell and broke my ankle, she called me to find out how I was doing and then came to visit me. She was kind and what I noticed about her was her positive attitude. Nothing seemed to get her down. I looked forward to receiving a call from her every week because she always made me feel better. After I was able to get around, we would meet at Starbucks and she told me about her yard, her dog, a book she was reading or some art show she had attended. She would come to my house and we would sit and visit. Her descriptions of whatever she was doing left no room for imagination because she described every thing in such detail. A couple of times I was surprised to see her at the Shrine of St. Anne church, even though it was not our parish, and we would stand outside the church and talk.

One day we went to a Tea House and the time spent eating the small sandwiches, drinking tea and talking about our lives, made me see how she enjoyed life. We made plans to go see an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. I could tell we were becoming friends.

One Sunday, after mass at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, she was coming out of mass as I was entering. We chatted for awhile and her last words to me were, "I will call you this week and we can go to Starbucks!" I never heard from her again. A few days after seeing her, a mutual friend told me she had gone into the hospital for a check up. Evidently she had not been feeling well, worried about a lingering cough or maybe allergies. The friend also told me that she did not want to have visitors. I respected her wishes and knew that as soon as she got out of the hospital, we would continue our visits. I called her home phone and left a few message that I was around if she needed anything after she got home.

Reports I would get were not good. She had sold her home, she was living at Meridian Senior Living, she had given her beloved Suri away and she still was not too keen on having visitors. I purchased a get-well card but never sent it, I would drive past the Meridian and wonder if I should surprise her, I never did, and I wondered if I should call her, yet never did. When I asked a mutual friend about an address for the Meridian I was told, "She is no longer there, she is now at Covenant Village. She moved because she needed more assistance than what the Meridian offered." That's when I knew her health was deteriorating and I might never see my friend again.

Last night I received a phone call that death for my friend was near.  A couple of mutual friends were with her. I fell asleep thinking about her and this morning I awoke at three and she was on my mind. I prayed that her going would be easy, if this was her time. I still find it hard to believe that a perfectly healthy looking person could leave this world within months of entering the hospital.

Today I spoke with one of the friends that had spent the night with her. "She has moments," she told me, "when she is lucid, other times she stares glassy eyed into the distance, and those quiet times when she seems to be asleep." She also told me it would probably be all right to go visit her. I knew I would not go at this stage of her illness.  Her kidneys had shut down and it seemed as if it would be a matter of time and knowing what a big cry baby I am, I certainly did not want to visit her and burst into tears. She does have my prayers
and my wish that she have a peaceful death. A priest administered the sacrament of the sick and when it is time to leave this earth she will go directly to heaven.

Friday morning I received a call  that she had passed away. Good bye my friend and I leave you with "Happy Trails to you, until we meet again..." (From Roy Rogers, Happy Trails.)

"Be calm. God awaits you at the door."

Gabriel Garcia Marquez