Grateful

On October 18 I posted a blog about running into a dear old friend, whom I had not seen for 30+ years.  I was in a class and he had signed up for the same class. 

After that first day, he didn’t return and I was sad, because I really was looking forward to his suggestion of having lunch to catch up.  Today I received an email letting me know, that 3 days after I posted that blog, he had passed. 

It’s getting harder and harder, these days of receiving these messages.  I can no longer count them on just one hand…..and they are no longer surprises.  But, they get sadder and sadder. 

We all know the cycle of life and if we are fortunate enough to get one more hour in, much less one more day, one more week, or one more month, we are indeed fortunate.  It’s just not the same, making new friends now when we know we won’t have the opportunity to build the experiences, the memories, the connections with our new friends that we had with those 50+ years, 30+ years friends from so long ago. 

So, I am grateful for the time I have.  I am grateful for all my friends, regardless of when they came along.  I am grateful for the many fun experiences I’ve had in these 75 years.  I am so very grateful for that one last chance encounter I had with Bob.

I am just grateful…..thank you.