Life and death

I had actually typed the next few lines as part of my previous post, but thought they'd be better off separately...

I'm looking forward to my parents' return to Canada in April. They have been spending winters in Arizona for the past 20 years or so, and this year will be the last in their own condo. It's been sold - a concession to their aging and the realization that travel isn't as much fun when the majority of the people they used to visit are no longer among the living.

Speaking of which... during the past week, I attended a memorial service for the brother of the first girl I think I was ever in love with. I met her when I was in grade 10 and we were close throughout the next three years. I'd only seen her once or twice while I was a university student, because she had chosen a different path. I guess the last time I had seen her, before this past week, was in 1974 and maybe once more in 1977 (so hard to remember). Despite the pain of the moment, she seemed genuinely glad to see me - not even surprised that I had come. She should have been surprised... My sister had seen the obituary listing and informed me. Had it not been for that, I would not have known.

She was there with her grown children, and introduced me to them as "this is [email address]". We've been corresponding on and off for the past year, ever since my sister found an article about her in the Alumni magazine and passed the information on to me. I had so much hoped to be able to introduce my wife to her - oh what stories they could have shared - but my wife declined my invitation to come.