R.I.P. Carol Charles

Sometimes life has a way of kicking you in the head. Times like today, when I learned my friend Carol had suddenly passed away. I last spoke to her about three or four weeks ago, regarding a lunch date that had been postponed several times for one reason or another since the first of the year, and she seemed fine. Not feeling well, but nothing earth-shaking—or so it seemed at the time. She was going to call me when she felt better. I had intended to call her this week to see how she was doing, but somehow something else always intervened, so I didn’t.

Now today I can’t call her. It’s too late, and my friend and I will never share time together ever again. I’m still in shock, I guess, and there are so many things I wish I had said. You truly never know when your time will be up, and as St. Nicholas (the second spirit to visit on Christmas Eve) tells Ebenezer in the movie Scrooge!, “Suddenly you’re not there anymore.”

I feel at such a loss for words trying to say what’s on my mind.  How do you? The best thing about Carol was that she cared. She genuinely cared about the people around her, and knowing her made a difference in their lives. She was kind when she didn’t have to be, and she reached out to people (me among them) who probably would not have reached out to her. She did the little things that count so much, like bringing over lunch when I felt too sick to go out. I miss her, and I will be missing her for a very long time, because she made me a better person simply because I knew her. It’s the highest praise I can think of. Rest in Peace, my dear friend. You are missed!


ON THE SUDDEN LOSS OF A FRIEND

I meant to call you
All last week,
And even the week before,
But somehow I always ended up
Busy
Or sidetracked.
Then, this morning Sam came home
And said,
“I’ve got a shock for you.”
I couldn’t imagine what
He would tell me—
Certainly anything about you
Could not have been farther
From my mind.

We never got our last lunch date,
And there were so many things
I could have said
About how wonderful you are.
I can’t remember you
Except smiling and laughing,
And you were the kindest person
I knew.
You were the one who
Took me to chemo
And held my hand when I cried.
You were the first one
To ask for a copy of my book,
And you never cared
If there was dog hair on my floors.

You were the best, my friend,
And I will miss you.