Couple's Yoga was really fun. Afterwards we went out with 2 of our best friends. I wake up to the dreadful news that a dear childhood friend/next door neighbor died of a heart attack while we were out laughing and having fun. It is astonishing that one minute everything is great and then in the blink of an eye it's gone. He was 50. Barry turns 50 this year. We are stunned. His sister's are devastated. I talked to one who was a bridesmaid in my wedding....."Linda, I lost my best friend, what will I do?" What do you say? I murmurred words like "you're strong, you're blessed, you will get through this" True but somehow ineffective when your heart is breaking. Sigh. This sucks.

Barry & I were just sitting holding onto one another Friday night. The gentleman and his wife were split after 29 years of marriage. Barry & I celebrate our 28th this weekend. "Linda, how can people split up after all those years of being married?" It happens. When you are raising kids...you go one of two ways, you grow together or you grow apart. It's dicey--Lord knows there were many years I wasn't too sure Barry & I wouldn't become yet another statistic. Thank God we didn't. We danced at Dave's wedding reception, we listened to the first woman reverend I'd ever heard at his wedding at St. Matthews. Where his funeral is this week. This just feels like a really bad dream.

It's weird when someone who was such a huge part of your childhood passes. I haven't seen Dave much in the last 20 years, last time I saw him was at his mother's funeral a year ago. We used to follow him and his band around when Barry & I were first married but then we had kids and spent the last 20 years focused on them. His band broke up, he stopped playing for awhile. I hear he had recently begun playing and doing really well, cutting records. I wish we had gone and heard him. I sort of feel surreal right now, like I'm a teenager again, lost in the memories of when we were a part of each other's life, it's hard to think of us all being old and of one of us dying, aren't we going to live forever?

If you are the praying type, will you please hold his family in prayer? He has 2 kids, a girl Rhia's age and a boy a bit younger. I am sending his sister's as much Reiki and healing light as I can-- will you please add to it if you can? They are strong, wonderful women with loving families-- I have faith they will get through this, as all will, and hopefully find the blessings within the tragedy. We will all gather our families a little bit closer, and be grateful for the time we have.

Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the foe

I long to dwell in your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
psalm of david - psalms 61.1-4