I Miss You

 

   I was thinking of posting a conversation with Scamp on my Facebook page. I thought about how much Helen would get a kick out of it and would probably have some sort of response.

   Then it hit me. Helen won't see my post. She passed away late last December. 

    I miss her. I miss her in ways that I didn't think I would. I miss the emails she sent with pictures of cats that she would find in the paper. I miss the comments she would make when she would read this column. I miss the newsletter that she would send out at Christmas with all the things she and her family did that year. I miss the way she took pictures with somebody holding a sign with the date on it and all the stories of how an Iowa farmgirl goes to nursing school and then off to New York to find a job.

  I miss the way she would get so involved in what people were saying that she would forget to time them or count their filler words at Toastmasters. I miss the announcements about the Farmer's market and the Lenten Fish Fry at the Catholic church. I miss the way she would start every meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and how, once we went to Zoom meetings, she would hold up a small American flag.

   Helen gave me some Lilies of the Valley and another plant whose name I can't remember. They are growing and spreading wildly outside my deck. She warned me that they would take over the ground I planted them on, but I didn't heed her warning. She would probably prefer that they be kept neatly in their allotted space. I think I prefer them more wild. It's not the same as having Helen around, but it does remind me of her and that I can spread beauty and kindness anywhere I can.

   Another person I miss in Evie. She left this world in February of 2021. I miss our weekly phone conversations. I miss eating with her at Asian buffet restaurants.  (She loved sushi and would finish one plate saying "tastes like more" as she went up for a second plate.) I miss eating with her at any restaurant. I miss her stories of her life as a young woman in St. Paul, stories about the cruises she took and all the jewelry she had. (from the Home Shopping Network)

   What I miss most is her confidence and love for me. She told me several times that I was like a daughter to her. I wished that I could have told her about my church leadership calling. Even though we didn't  attend the same church, she would have been proud of me and given me encouragement and advice like a mother would.

   Evie told me to always wear jewelry even when simply running errands. Most of the time when I leave the house I put on a necklace, a ring or earrings. I remember what she told me about wearing an aqua shirt with tanzanite (the combo is all right). It's not the same as having her around, but when I put on some jewelry I remember that pretty things are not meant to sit in a box and gather dust. They are meant to be displayed and used.

  Thank you Helen and Evie for all you have done for me and all those you cared about. We'll meet again someday......