Rant #3,950: She's Gone

Memorial Day was pretty good for myself and my family.

We had a slight change of plans.

I had planned on having a barbecue for myself, my wife and our son, but instead, we met up with family at my sister's house, which is always fun.

I will put off our first barbecue of the season for a week, so we will still have it, but just a little later than I had planned.

This week is a big week for me, health-wise.

I have to go for what is known as a KUB--kidney, ureter and bladder--scan today, which will ascertain whether my most recent operation did what it was supposed to do.

I sure hope it did.

And then on Friday, I have to go to the urologist for a post-operation checkup, where I will further learn whether the operation was a success and what my next move for good health in that area entails.

I really hate all of this, as it seems never-ending, but it is all part of the plan to get me back to where I should be.

The past three years or so have been horrid for me health-wise, and I just need to get back to some semblance of normalcy, because I have been in something of a holding pattern for quite a while now with all these operations and procedures hopefully pointing me in the right direction.

I heard a sad bit of news this past weekend.

My friend's mother passed away about a week or so ago.

She lived a long life--nearly to 100 years of age--but finally succumbed to what ailed her.

I was told that her last few years were very poor, but she somehow persevered, and nearly hit the century mark.

She was my mom's best friend, the wife of my father's best friend, my childhood best friend's mom, and I have so many memories of her, pretty much all good.

She was like my second mother during those early years, and her passing hit me a bit hard.

During those early years, if my mother did not know where I was, she certainly did--

Your community was your parent, and that community never let you get out of line or into too much trouble.

I just know that she is in a better place now, and I hope it brings piece to my old. life-long friend and his sister, who I know have struggled with their mom's care for the past several years.

I wish them all well.

So another, real part of my childhood is gone, but the good memories of this lady will be with me for the rest of my life.

I was looking for a photo of her, but for some reason, I cannot find my bar mitzvah album.

I know that there was one photo of her in that album, with all my parents' friends at the time--many of them life-long friends who they still got together with through their 80s and beyond.

I am sure it is here, but in our move, it is probably sitting in some box of books or other things that we do not have displayed.

It will turn up one day, but right now, I simply cannot find it.

But I don't really need actual photos to remember this lady--

She will live on in my memories forever.