That's what friends are for

What a shock!  Judy, long time friend, called last evening with news that our mutual friend passed away at 8:00am June 7th.  I had spent the day cleaning as I remembered my sister-in-law, Lisha's birthday.  That's a whole other blog; Lisha taught me the virtues of cleaning.  I smiled and actually laughed out loud a couple of times.
That "good time feeling" left me suddenly when I heard the news that MaryAnn had died.  MaryAnn was diagnosed with cancer I think about 5 years ago.  At that time her husband, Denny was told it was fast growing and could take her is 4 years.  Because I know people who have been told that and have been in remission for 10, I didn't take that as the gospel.  MaryAnn lived in Bellingham, Washington so couldn't see her regularly.  I traveled to Bellingham 3 years ago and had a delightful time with her and Denny.  She had slowed down some but her fun personality and her good looks were very much intact.  Last year I met with MaryAnn, Denny, Judy and Don in Billings.  We went to dinner and had a great visit.  Again, she was tired but not what I would have thought to be life threatening.  Her diagnosis did come to pass and I lost a wonderful friend of 53 years.  I pray there will be joy at her funeral as people recall her loyalty and positive attitude in all things.
As the old saying goes, "the only thing certain in life is death and taxes"  None of us will live on this earth forever.  My prayer is that I take the time to recognize friends often and tell them how much they mean to me.