Some of you might remember the passing last year of a dear friend of mine---my old neighbor.
When I moved to my current area she was already here and she knew me well. Along with my closest of friends, she had my best interest at heart-----she had a bit of history with me and knew the path I had traveled. But what I loved the most about my old neighbor was her candor. When others tiptoed around the subject at hand, she looked directly into my eyes and told me what she thought----there wasn't any hesitation. Many of the things she told me I doubted at the time. I wanted to doubt. She was one of the first to tell me to walk away from my marriage-----that for reasons that I probably will never understand my ex-husband could not love me the way I deserved. She said this without malice towards him and without pity towards me.
Time heals but does not erase. I still miss dropping in on my neighbor and sharing a glass (or bottle!) of red wine and discussing our opinions and her memories of raising her own four children. She was not perfect but she accepted that.
My time with her is yet another reminder that people flow through my life for a reason-----that they provide a little bit of wisdom for me on my journey through this life and I only hope that I do the same for them...
Yes, it's almost been a year later and I still miss my old neighbor immensely. But oh so often I feel that she is still with me----still with us all, mailing Halloween cards full of candy for my kids (when we only lived a block away), and sprucing up whatever yard and garden she now finds herself in...
