The "things" we leave behind

As many times as I have driven near my friends home, I've never mustered the courage to turn down her street and drive by her house. That was, until just the other day. I drove down her street and past her home. Both Sue and her husband have passed within the last year, yet there it was. Their home, their refuge from the rest of the world, stood waiting, waiting for them to 'come home'. I had to make a U turn, and drive past the home again, slowly, almost stopping for a moment. How I remember walking up that sidewalk and ringing the doorbell. How I remember Sue's doggies barking at me as if to say, "I'm having you for dinner!" But now the house sits empty, probably going through the Probate Court, and then, who knows, possibly to sell and to become some other family's 'home'. As I drove to my own home, I had a flurry of thoughts swirling through my head. It seemed so surreal that Sue was gone. How could she be? Her house was sitting right there waiting for her to come home. It just couldn't be real that she would never pass through that door again. Never be with family on this earth again. Never pet her doggies or sing to her birdies. It seemed an unimaginable impossiblitiy that I would never run into Sue and her son as we both went shopping at the same time more than once. When we die, we leave precious family members, friends, and neighbors behind. We also leave 'things' behind as well. Homes, clothes, pictures, pets, things that are meaningful to us, trinkets, furniture, you name it. Our 'things' do not go away when we do. They are still very much here and stand, just like Sue's home, screaming out loud and clear....calling. Calling for Sue to 'come home.' We come into this world with nothing and leave the same way. We cannot take earthy posessions with us and why would we anyway? Heaven is perfectly furnished and there's no mortgage to worry about. Maybe I'll drive by Sue's home again one day, and I'll think about the things we leave behind. I'll remember to value what's important in life and that is caring about the people around me. When I do that, I won't be so concerned about the 'things' I have or don't. My treasure will be in Heaven. Sue has found the greatest treasures of all by going ahead. In a way, that makes her a very lucky soul. The next time I muster the courage to drive past Sue's earthly home and wish that she were still living in it, I'll remind myself that an earthly house is just a 'thing'....and the real treasure is in Heaven!

Let it rain!

As the anniversary of my dear friend's passing approaches, I am thinking about her more and more. It's strange because it feels as though it was just yesterday when we were laughing (and griping) together at work and talking about anything and everything. I'll never forget one special day that I spent with Sue.

It was raining a drenching rain, and I remember asking Sue this question as we watched the downpour. "Do you wanna go out and get wet?" She said, "Sure, lets go!" And, as we watched customers waiting at the doorway for the rain to subside, Sue and I went out in it, put our arms up and twirled around for a few moments, letting the giant raindrops hit us all over. People thought we were nuts to go out into the pouring rain but we didn't care. We were just having fun. Boy was it cold! And we stayed soggy for the rest of our shifts at work even though we hardly noticed for the fun of that moment. Every once in awhile you just have to let the child within come out, and that's what we did. Gosh I miss Sue. She loved life and loved having fun in it. She worked hard, loved her children and husband, and was nice to everyone that I ever saw her around. People loved Sue. I loved her and still do. And, as the anniversary of her passing draws closer, I will visit her grave. I'll place a sunflower where she rests, because sunflowers were her favorite flower. And, if I'm lucky, it will be raining that day and I can remember the first anniversary of her passing with a smile for the sweet memory that she and I alone shared on a rainy day.