On January 21st I had a very short messenger conversation with my friends Elaine and Barry on Salt Spring Island. It should have been longer but I was busy and intended to take more next time. Today I saw a RIP post on Facebook and was horrified. I immediately continued that private message about hearing a horrible rumour. I didn’t realize how close I was to a scheduled call with a client and when my phone rang I automatically answered it just as Barry’s message came that Elaine had died yesterday at 11 am. My breath was taken away and I barely managed to answer my client. She was so kind and offered to do it another time but she is a busy Mom and I knew I needed to assist her as planned, that I could swallow my grief. We both took a moment and I sat in it for a moment before we went on to work together on her online books for the next 3 hours. It was good for my soul to work with this lovely lady, Julie and as time passed we were laughing and getting things in order. She let me have my times when I had trouble expressing myself and I allowed her the issues we need to fix. I was able to talk to her and she understood that I was not especially surprised my dear friend was gone, she has suffered poor health for years but it was the shock of learning it on Facebook. Elaine was working for Mouat’s Trading Company on SSI when I started there in 1997, she was a friend through so many changes over the years. She and Barry were always so kind to me and cared how Jake and I were doing. I am grateful that the last time I was on island I made a point of doing a drive by hugging. I hadn’t seen her in a very long time and now I am especially grateful I did. I was grateful to come home to my son, to spend his last night here together after he went and had a visit with his daughter. We had a meal and chatted and watched “Yesterday” which I was surprised he hadn’t seen yet. I think it was good and helped to add a little cheer to the day. I packed up a dozen homemade wine in his crate to take home, gave him a couple Tupperware for his lunches and will send along some elk steaks and snacks with him tomorrow. I am sad he is leaving but glad he was here.
The more mundane things I did: treadmill, car to dealership for light issues, ran payroll, picked up Tupperware parcel that wasn’t available until noon today even though I needed it for an event last Saturday, downgraded my driver’s license to drop my class 4 to just 5&6 (car and motorcycle) (hated getting picture taken while at my highest weight ever) picked up my Fluevogs from the cobbler and tended to some volunteer work. Life does go on…
triumphgal 