Staying Connected
Brenda emailed me this morning and said Charlotte's husband died unexpectedly early yesterday evening. He had not been in good health for some time, with complications from diabetes resulting in amputation of a foot, and onset of Alzheimer's. His death was sudden though and that in itself was a blessing. Charlotte had been helping Jimmy out of his wheelchair and he suddenly slumped over and was gone immediately.
Brenda and her husband Jimmy offered Charlotte two lots in the town cemetery because they have six lots. Charlotte wants to have their daughter Monica, who died at an early age in a car accident, moved there also. "Okay, so three lots," Bren told her generously, which is her very nature. She said she would decide.
I didn't know (or at least remember) that Charlotte and her family lived near Bren when they were children. In fifth grade Charlotte's family moved back from Michigan to Iuka and she and Bren were great friends and very close until Charlotte's family built a house and moved to Burnsville. Bren said Charlotte always regretted that. Now she has an opportunity to buy a house opposite her old childhood home, on the same street. It will be like going back home, she said.
As girls they would never have thought they'd not only be such good friends for life in spite of the distance between towns, but "related" as well. In high school and two years of college at NECC, we were all great friends, some pairing off into couples, but all kind of hanging out together, mostly on weekends. Then marriage came along for all of us and Brenda married Charlotte's first cousin - Jim.Isn't it neat how God works these things out in the end? Such a comfort at some of the most crucial and sad times of our lives - to stay connected.
***
Richard brought me a nice pen today. I had told him a couple of weeks ago that I liked his pen and he said he could probably get one for me. He was always passing neat things like this to Teri and he had given us funny "curly" pens once (that I lost). It's a promo pen, but has a nice feel to it. This morning he brought the pen and two Parker gel refills. "What a nice Valentine's Day gift," I said. Later I sent a "cute" Hallmark e-card to several people including Richard. This pen I will guard. It's just nice that he remembered; and somehow it keeps me connected to Teri, too. It will be one month ago tomorrow that she died. That still makes me want to laugh at the absurdity of it, but it's all too real.
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