Forever Lost

This past week, I became aware of two deaths. One local. One thousands of miles away.

The local passing of a neighbor's wife was surprising. Surprising because we ultimately heard about it through another neighbor. We have "known" our neighbors since we moved into the neighborhood in 1998. We've seen them in their yard. We've seen them going to and fro. Though we didn't have a friendship based relationship, we had a mutual respect relationship. We lived in the same neighborhood. We waved from time to time. So when I heard that his wife had passed from breast cancer. It hit me hard. I had to look up the obituary in the local online news paper. My wife picked up a condolence card and we mailed it. I'm hoping they received it today.

The other death I became aware of was a "young" lady of 52 who lived in Alaska. She was the sister of a very good friend of mine. He and I had served in the Marine Corps together. I met his sister during the summer of 1977 or 1978 when she came to Beaufort, SC with another sister. We had texted each other briefly due to my friend's bad health and his seemingly "I don't care" attitude about it. She thanked me for contacting her brother. In fact, she said that she loved me for harping on her brother about his health. I was hoping to see her again before the end of this year. Unfortunately, I will not.

I cried when I heard about my neighbor. I cried when my friend told me about his sister. I cried because all family and friends of these two ladies lost a wife, a sister, a mother, a daughter, a grandmother, an aunt, a friend.......a neighbor.

If I think about these two human losses, I tear up.
I never got to know my neighbor.
We never barbequed.
I only met my friend's sister once.
I'll never see her again.

Life is too short.
Get to know your neighbors.
Keep in contact with friends and their families.
You'll be happy that you did.