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...
