We Miss You

Bad news always travels fast....but sometimes not fast enough. With the passing of a lifelong friend's mother, the last week has been one of deep thoughts. I didn't find out until it was too late to say goodbye, and I would have really cherished that goodbye. I know that we don't usually get that luxury, but I would have wanted to tell Kay's mother that I have millions of memories stock piled in my heart from her home as a child. I spend hours and hours there, playing and talking and 4-wheeling and swimming. We played our trumpets on the deck and sat in the hottub (bright turquoise, I might add) until we were pruned. Her mom was the only person who even successfully got me to taste SPAM. Yuck. If I slept over on a Friday night, I was included in the cleaning rituals on Saturday morning because I wasn't considered a guest....I was part of the family. I could go on and on and on with my memories of Kay and I at her parents' house when we were younger. At the luncheon following the funeral, I was sitting with good friends, and we were talking about Kay's mom and laughing because no matter how many times you called their house, no matter what time of day, she always answered by screaming their last name into the phone....even if she knew it was you. Kay's mom was only 50 years old when she passed away last week. FIFTY YEARS OLD. Not nearly enough time here with loved ones. But as I've learned in the last year, cancer strikes and it strikes hard, and there's nothing we can do about it except fight it the best you can and LIVE EVERY DAY. Kay's mom was diagnosed 5 weeks prior to her death, and the blow was no different. So I will dedicate this entry to Kay's mother. Wherever you are Kay's Mom, we are really missing you.