I spent a couple of hours sitting on the floor of the closet this morning...surrounded by boxes of papers. In the process of searching for a particular document, I came across cards and letters that I've kept for decades. One of my favorite finds was a letter written forty years ago by my friend Diane, one of my dear church friends from my high school years. Born and raised in Louisiana, Diane was beautiful with the dark brown eyes and dark hair of her Cajun French ancestors.
Diane had married right after graduating from Memphis State and moved to California to be with her young husband who was in the Navy. From there, they moved to Colorado, and then, years later, to Okalahoma. We kept in touch for a while. She had a daughter and then a son. I had a son, a daughter, a son. We exchanged Christmas cards and phone calls from time to time. Then I went to nursing school and life got even busier. We moved out of state and, eventually, Diane and I lost touch.
Using the internet, I tracked Diane down about seven or eight years ago and telephoned her. We talked for a long time. She had bone cancer but was fighting it. We discussed trying to meet in Memphis in the near future. It had been so many years. Through my struggles of the past five years, Diane and I once again lost contact. I forgot her married name. I couldn't find her. Today, holding the letter from Diane in my hands, I had her last name. Once again, using the internet, I searched for Diane. This time, I found a beautifully written obituary and tribute. She died in 2009. Her husband passed away several years before her. Her sister Yvonne, another church friend from my teen years, had also preceded her in death. I sat at my computer, looking at the photos of her life over the past four decades and reading her obituary and I cried. I couldn't help it...
So, once again, I've been reminded how short life is. I made up my mind to write the Christmas letter again this year that I've neglected for the past five years and to reconnect with those long lost friends who are still living...
Thanks for visiting. I really like what you've done with your blog.
ReplyDeleteHow sad that your friend has died before you had chance to make contact again. One or two of my friends have died at a comparatively young age which has brought home to me the importance of making the effort to stay in touch - we don't always have as much time as we think.
ReplyDeleteHi Dianne! What neat blogs you have. So sorry for the discovery of the loss of your long ago friend. I am going to my high school reunion this weekend and looking forward to reconnecting with some of those long ago friends. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis touched my heart.
ReplyDeleteI've done the same thing before--sifted through boxes on a search for something I'd misplaced, and lost myself in memory and things that connect me to special friends or events from the past.
I still have boxes that I brought home from my parents' home after they died, and this winter I am determined to sort through the boxes.
I lost a dear friend named Dianne, too. What a beautiful trail your Dianne made through your life & heart. Friendships are special and yes, life IS short. I praise God for each and every day, because I know they're fleeting.
I miss Dot so badly, she & Tom, her letters,her getting all of us together when we visited at their house when the KIDS came down from Calif. All the letters we save remind us of all the fun we had when our loved ones were alive.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help but cry, either. Thanks for sharing this. I am looking forward to reading all of the stories. I've missed all those yearly letters. I've always loved your writings. You paint pictures w/your words, & since I hear, see, & understand in pictures, I come away feeling like I've been on a trip to some far & exotic place, a place I don't want to leave. I love this music, too! Love, Linda