Like foreshadowing in a novel the email I got this morning told me that today’s prompt was “Final“. As seems normal of late, I felt like there really wasn’t anything I could add to the conversation. Since I got back from China on April 24th I have been tongue tied…or more accurately keyboard and camera tied.

The phone rang while my husband was in the shower. It was the wife of a friend of his, the one he was getting ready to go visit. His friend died this morning. After a long and arduous battle with cancer.

The mixed feelings that go with this end came through as she spoke to me, almost a stranger to her (the friend was my husband’s co-worker and we only met a couple of times). Perhaps it was easier to talk to a sympathetic, disembodied near stranger. It reminded me of something I used to say when I was in a lay leadership position: we are all pastoral care givers, it isn’t something that you can delegate.

She invited Richard to come and say goodbye, and said “he is as handsome as ever”. He will be handsome forever in the eyes of his best, best friend…a beautiful finale.