A woman I used to work with and loved very much died unexpectedly back in July. She died on the same date my mom died in 2009. The four of us, pictured here, worked together for years as therapists at the local sexual assault and domestic violence crisis center. This photo was taken in 1996 and was the last time we were all together. (We were pretty tooted when this photo was taken). Even though the friend who died (far right) had moved 1750 miles from here in 2000, the work we did together forged a friendship that was just as strong now as it was when the picture was taken. In 2019 we started our own chat group on FB and last year started regular Saturday night video calls. Her Celebration of Life was held here today and, since I was our only group member available, I spoke about our friendship to the gathering of relatives and other friends. She was private, independent and loved living on the edge. When I was with her I felt accepted, comforted, protected and loved. I was lucky to have a friend like her.
