Life - and death

I got a phone call this morning from an old friend back East telling me that a mutual friend had died while on vacation overseas with her daughters...

All day I have had old memories stirred wherein the 2 of us did things together. We were both in grad school in Boston during the 60's - then lived near each other in a Boston suburb in the 70's - and her kids are just a little older than my son. In fact, I wore her maternity clothes all during my pregnancy. We both lived in D.C. at the same time for a few years too.

What my head has trouble with is that we never know when is our last day [she was just 62]. I'm sure she foresaw a future with grandchildren at her home. I'm sure she had a work schedule planned out for when she returned from this trip. And I'm sure, like several of her friends including me, her desk is a mess and her affairs not in any semblance of order....

Although sad, I am now working harder at the projects I started this year. Because, although healthy, I'm not getting any younger...none of us is...