One of my dearest friend has just passed away

She was diagnosed with ALS in May, 2018, at the age of 58.

We were both registered nurses. We knew the sequelae. She had just planned her daughters wedding and successfully waved her off to her new life.

My friend was one of the funniest people I have ever known.

She had a rough childhood – some of her trauma was a shared story we commiserated over, but never let it stop us.

She was the room mom. Then the sports mom. The band mom. She was ever the fun, gregarious friend. The choir member. The event planner.

She was the full time RN with a beautiful home, and she still managed to plan lots of fun trips for us to go on to Disney World and Dresden, Ohio when she was a Longaberger consultant.

She loved God, her family, her friends, and America.

She loved to laugh, and we did a lot of laughing. My happiest memories with her involve a lot of laughing – the kind you can’t remember got you started, but left you with tears of joy running down your face.

I have a lot of memories – from the many years we worked together as RN’s. From the times we went fun places, because she included me in so many fun trips. From the decade of luncheons she planned and we worked on with our friends to raise money for breast cancer research.

Since her diagnosis, things went downhill quick. She was able to see the birth of her daughters son this fall, and his recent baptism. I know these events meant a lot to her.

I’m not so selfish to wish her here still, at least not with that wicked ALS. I can’t envision a crueler disease. I’ve prayed every day that she would not suffer.

She’s not suffering today.

I miss you, beloved friend.

I’ll forever be grateful for the twenty years you were in my life.