Saying Goodbye

Yesterday Jim and I went to Logan to say goodbye to a long-time, very dear friend who is dying of liver cancer. Some of you know Ginny & Jim Petersen. We met them in Nebraska. She was my visiting teacher for a while and Jim was Jason's scout master. We became very good friends. After we left Nebraska, Ginny continued to write letters to me. That was the time before e-mails. I have a stack of her hand-written letters that I will treasure forever.

She didn't forget me after we left. She stayed connected. She continued to share her life with me including trials, sadnesses and joys. I did the same with her. There is something to be said about having those hand-written letters over e-mails that can be deleted when there is no more space on the computer.

One time when Jess was in the hospital in Lincoln, she brought a fried chicken picnic for us to eat. We sat out on the lawn of the hospital eating together as a family for the first time in several days. It was a wonderful gesture. She made a dress for me for my birthday in cahoots with two other women. They surprised me with the dress. It fit perfectly and it was a beautiful dress. She and her husband, Jim, let Jason stay with them after we moved to California until it was time for them to go to Philmont, New Mexico. They made sure he got safely on a plane to fly out to meet us after the camp was over. They have attended several of our weddings and have been supportive from the day we met them. She is an example of a true friend in every sense of the word.

So how do you say goodbye to someone like that? She has lost a lot of weight because she can't eat much. She only has about a month to live. Her eyes reflect peace. She still looks beautiful but so very thin. Her husband seems to be at peace at least for the time being. We had a wonderful visit. Her 69th birthday is tomorrow. She only wanted letters for her birthday. They have been pouring in. I included mine in her basket last night.

I'm not sure how to pay appropriate tribute to Ginny except to say I love her deeply. As we hugged several times yesterday, I could feel her bones poking through her skin. We kept things pretty light-hearted for most of the visit although we talked openly about what she is experiencing. She wanted one last hug before we left. We hung on to each other for a few more moments. All I could say as I backed away and let her go was, "Will you save a spot for me up there? I will need you to speak in my behalf, I'm sure. Will you do that, too?" She smiled and through tears promised she would save me a spot.

Luckily, I know that this goodbye is for short time only. I will see her again one day. Hopefully she will have a nice spot with a great view waiting for me when I get there.