Words for the Journey

This past week I lost a another relative to lung cancer.  She had been battling with it for many years and a true warrior, but finally lost her battle.  We grew up together as kids and had so much fun!  As  you get older and go off in separate directions, we lost touch.  I moved out of state and we rarely saw each other.  When my dad died, she attended his funeral and slipped a note to me and asked me to read it on the way home, and I did.  She told me personal feelings and things that were happening with her in her life.  With the great tool of Facebook, we connected and “chatted” quite often.  When I came home one time, we did lunch with another cousin and laughed and cried.  In August, I visited her again.  I knew that there was nothing else the doctors could do and they had sent her home, and she was prepared.  I knew it would be the last time I would see her in this world.  She had sent me a book in the mail that she wanted me to have as a gift from her to remember her by.  She even drove to the author’s farm to have him autograph it and had a very special message that she wanted to share with me.  She also wrote a two page letter to me.  I will treasure both forever.   I keep in on the shelf above my laptop.  When I received the news, I pulled the book down and reread the letter.  This time taking in each and every word that she wrote and cried and cried.  The holidays are around the corner and my heart goes out to her family for it will be very challenging for them.  I know I will look up and see my book on the shelf and know that I have another angel in Heaven looking down and watching out for me and I will be reminded of her message every day and will live it as best I can in her memory……….miss you…