A life well lived... a woman well loved

I attended the viewing yesterday evening of Cathy Bolton, a woman taken from her life much too soon by breast cancer. She was 47 years old and fought to live like the proverbial tiger... she wanted to be around long enough to see her grandchildren.

Cathy's love for her family, friends, patients and work associates was the guiding force of her life. They responded by being there for Cathy and her family, giving of their time with visits, food, whatever she needed that they could provide... their respect and love for her evident in their faithfulness to her throughout her illness.

At the viewing, I asked Cathy's mother how she was doing... she said her heart was broken, but she was okay. The line of people who came to show their respect and caring grew and grew and grew... to the point that additional rooms had to be opened to accommodate them. I suspect the visitation lasted well past the planned 9pm closing.

I met Cathy's mother several months ago and we discovered that my daughter and grandchildren knew Cathy and her husband from attending the same church, my grandchildren having attended the same school with her children. When I went for a treatment this morning, one of my nurses and I discovered that she and some of the other nurses there had known Cathy through work. They were devastated... another hint of the far-reaching effect and influence Cathy had during her life.

Cancer may have finally killed Cathy, but it didn't win.

Unofficially official

Today is the unofficial official first day of Fall in my world... the day after Labor Day and the first day of school for most of the schools in my area. It's always been that way for me. It even feels like Fall to me now. Summer has been HOT here but the nights have started to have a coolness that lets me know the season has changed. I'm breaking my own obedience to the rule "No white after Labor Day"... wearing white pants to go to Meals on Wheels. It feels jarring to me but I want to have a full load of whites to launder before putting them away for next year. The pants will come off and go into the wash basket as soon as I get back home... wearing them just doesn't feel right.

The heat and a dying a/c in my car have kept me inside a lot this Summer, but I'm looking forward to cooler weather, just-picked apples, the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg, and planning another end-of-the-year holiday get-together with my family.

Had wall-to-wall granddaughters this past Saturday night. What fun! And my claustrophobia didn't even kick in. Of course, I know that the draw of staying with me wasn't just my scintillating personality... my high-speed internet and Wi-Fi connections had a lot to do with it. Oh well, I'll take anything that lets me enjoy these girls' company. The great thing is that I know their brothers will stay with me too. For the same reason, of course.