My Friend has passed and is no longer in pain and will be reunited with her loved ones who have gone before her. I received the phone call shortly after posting to my blog yesterday. Her family was around her and her final days were peaceful and she was kept comfortable. Words elude me but my emotions are vast.
Sylvia lived a full 79 years of life filled with huge challenges. But, my greatest memory of her is that we "Always had FUN"! Even though we had different viewpoints on many aspects of life we "Just Got Each Other". There was never a time we couldn't share "our secrets" with each other. That kind of a friend does not come around very often.
My most recent vivid memory of our life experiences together was two years ago (2012) after her cancer diagnosis when I took her to the hospital (45 minute drive) for a routine diagnostic test that required light sedation. We needed to be at the hospital early and would not be able to leave until 5 to 6 PM. It was in the month of January during a year that this area experienced an unexpected heavy snow season. Anyway, after we arrived at the hospital and my friend was taken to the back by the nurse and I enjoyed "people watching" and reading a book.
I think it was about 2 PM when snow started to fall and I watched the parking lot and my car from the waiting room window. Soft fluffy white snow flakes were drifting down and the color of the cars and surrounding area was quickly turning white and whiter and whiter! For me, a little snow is fun. But, this was starting to look very daunting to me! Many of the patients were being discharged as their procedures were completed. The snow continued to fall without any interludes from the time of the first falling snow flake.
Now then, I am a California girl with absolutely NO experience driving in the snow. What to do? Well, do what you have to do, the little voice in my head was saying. Through the years I have learned how to be quite independent out of necessity but this was a FIRST ONE FOR ME.
Walking through several inches of snow with only fair weather shoes I eventually got to my car. Using a scraper that was in my trunk I managed to scrape and scrape snow off of the car and get into the door and slowly, very slowly drive to the hospital discharge door and pick up my friend.
By now, the parking lot was clearing out and a lot of the hospital support staff had been advised to go home. The snow was continuing to get deeper and deeper and I had a horrible time getting out of the parking lot. There were no tire tracks to try to follow. Slip and slide was the name of the game!
We eventually make it to the highway but it took a long time with traffic jams and cars sliding all around. A couple cars made complete circles when their cars started to slide. The traffic signals were of no help! Oh, and I did not have snow tires or chains and most vehicles did not. I crept slowly along the highway like a snake watching as many cars were sliding into the embankments or onto the side of the road. NO SNOW PLOWS!
All seemed to be going along quite well even though my body was getting tenser and tenser. But my friend was able to snack on some banana nut bread that I baked the day before and brought for her because she had not had anything to eat all day because of the medical testing.
By now we were successfully driving slowly along on the two lane road and praying for strength. All of a sudden the road was quite icy and the truck in front of me slid into the snow berm and the truck behind me also. And, then me. After "trying to gather my wits" I made several attemps to get my car back on the road to no avail. By now, it would have been nice to have a restroom nearby to visit!
My friend and I continually talked positively to each other throughout the hours we were trying to get home.
And, tomorrow I will be able to finish this story about ME AND MY FRIEND!
Tell someone special you love them!
Mary
Sylvia lived a full 79 years of life filled with huge challenges. But, my greatest memory of her is that we "Always had FUN"! Even though we had different viewpoints on many aspects of life we "Just Got Each Other". There was never a time we couldn't share "our secrets" with each other. That kind of a friend does not come around very often.
My most recent vivid memory of our life experiences together was two years ago (2012) after her cancer diagnosis when I took her to the hospital (45 minute drive) for a routine diagnostic test that required light sedation. We needed to be at the hospital early and would not be able to leave until 5 to 6 PM. It was in the month of January during a year that this area experienced an unexpected heavy snow season. Anyway, after we arrived at the hospital and my friend was taken to the back by the nurse and I enjoyed "people watching" and reading a book.
I think it was about 2 PM when snow started to fall and I watched the parking lot and my car from the waiting room window. Soft fluffy white snow flakes were drifting down and the color of the cars and surrounding area was quickly turning white and whiter and whiter! For me, a little snow is fun. But, this was starting to look very daunting to me! Many of the patients were being discharged as their procedures were completed. The snow continued to fall without any interludes from the time of the first falling snow flake.
Now then, I am a California girl with absolutely NO experience driving in the snow. What to do? Well, do what you have to do, the little voice in my head was saying. Through the years I have learned how to be quite independent out of necessity but this was a FIRST ONE FOR ME.
Walking through several inches of snow with only fair weather shoes I eventually got to my car. Using a scraper that was in my trunk I managed to scrape and scrape snow off of the car and get into the door and slowly, very slowly drive to the hospital discharge door and pick up my friend.
By now, the parking lot was clearing out and a lot of the hospital support staff had been advised to go home. The snow was continuing to get deeper and deeper and I had a horrible time getting out of the parking lot. There were no tire tracks to try to follow. Slip and slide was the name of the game!
We eventually make it to the highway but it took a long time with traffic jams and cars sliding all around. A couple cars made complete circles when their cars started to slide. The traffic signals were of no help! Oh, and I did not have snow tires or chains and most vehicles did not. I crept slowly along the highway like a snake watching as many cars were sliding into the embankments or onto the side of the road. NO SNOW PLOWS!
All seemed to be going along quite well even though my body was getting tenser and tenser. But my friend was able to snack on some banana nut bread that I baked the day before and brought for her because she had not had anything to eat all day because of the medical testing.
By now we were successfully driving slowly along on the two lane road and praying for strength. All of a sudden the road was quite icy and the truck in front of me slid into the snow berm and the truck behind me also. And, then me. After "trying to gather my wits" I made several attemps to get my car back on the road to no avail. By now, it would have been nice to have a restroom nearby to visit!
My friend and I continually talked positively to each other throughout the hours we were trying to get home.
And, tomorrow I will be able to finish this story about ME AND MY FRIEND!
Tell someone special you love them!
Mary
Indeed, true friends are like diamonds, precious and rare.... I'm so very sorry for the loss of your dear friend, Sylvia!
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