Today I came home from doctor's appointments to a message from my daughter that one of my oldest friends had passed away. Just that...no other info, just passed away.
I lost my mind. I missed my chance to have those last conversations. I'd been planning to...y0u know, later...soon...after this issue or that problem. All of those excuses stretched out over several years. We'd grown up through our teenage years together. He'd watched over me protectively during those early date years, and I felt closer to him than my own brother. His family was my extended family...grafted in. We went to the same high school, had the same friends and when we grew apart, we stayed close. Do you understand that? He was just a phone call away and we kept loosely in touch.
At one point Robyn became friends with my future husband and I started seeing him regularly again. He was the Best Man at our wedding. And when that marriage crashed and burned, he was a strong shoulder to cry on. He never chose sides, he loved us both.
At one point, he chose to settle down and I was very happy for him. And when we both brought our daughters into this world...well, it was natural that they became best friends. The two of us often mused about our lives courses as we watched them play. Our children were our "do overs" for our sometimes unhappy childhoods. It was magical in a way.
When his relationship imploded, I was there for him... Thank God his ex was non-dramatic and supportive and later when she re-married both of us attended.
Robyn was a person of the highest integrity and warmth and I Loved Him.
So what struck me so hard today was that we'd just been talking about him, and again, for the umpteenth time, my husband said, give him a call, let's get together. And then we came home and the bomb dropped. I will never be able to call him again. I will never be able to get together for a walk or a coffee because, like most of us, I just assumed we'd have unlimited time to catch up.
I'm telling you this because we all have someone we've been meaning to call...to have those long conversations with that seem to cover everything. Don't wait.
E.
I lost my mind. I missed my chance to have those last conversations. I'd been planning to...y0u know, later...soon...after this issue or that problem. All of those excuses stretched out over several years. We'd grown up through our teenage years together. He'd watched over me protectively during those early date years, and I felt closer to him than my own brother. His family was my extended family...grafted in. We went to the same high school, had the same friends and when we grew apart, we stayed close. Do you understand that? He was just a phone call away and we kept loosely in touch.
At one point Robyn became friends with my future husband and I started seeing him regularly again. He was the Best Man at our wedding. And when that marriage crashed and burned, he was a strong shoulder to cry on. He never chose sides, he loved us both.
At one point, he chose to settle down and I was very happy for him. And when we both brought our daughters into this world...well, it was natural that they became best friends. The two of us often mused about our lives courses as we watched them play. Our children were our "do overs" for our sometimes unhappy childhoods. It was magical in a way.
When his relationship imploded, I was there for him... Thank God his ex was non-dramatic and supportive and later when she re-married both of us attended.
Robyn was a person of the highest integrity and warmth and I Loved Him.
So what struck me so hard today was that we'd just been talking about him, and again, for the umpteenth time, my husband said, give him a call, let's get together. And then we came home and the bomb dropped. I will never be able to call him again. I will never be able to get together for a walk or a coffee because, like most of us, I just assumed we'd have unlimited time to catch up.
I'm telling you this because we all have someone we've been meaning to call...to have those long conversations with that seem to cover everything. Don't wait.
E.
