Bittersweet

V. and I leave for France one week from today.  It is a red-letter year end as it is V.'s last. 45 years of full-time work coming to an end.

Today, we spent several hours with my friend C. who's days are numbered.  Her nine and a half-year struggle with cancer is coming to an end.  She has been a brave soldier and deserves the rest.  Saying goodbye to her was not easy but it was natural.  Saying goodbye to C. is also saying goodbye to our shared childhood and adolescent years. She is a part of my history, a part of me.

I feel bruised, slightly off kilter.  When I said goodbye to her she whispered: "It's not fair."  No C., it isn't fair, but it is so.

How do I reconcile the joy of the anticipation of our upcoming time in France and the sadness of losing my friend?

This too shall pass...

Stella