There’s been a lot of tragedy and deaths in our small community recently. And these people were so young. Illness, wrecks, and even a stabbing. Teenagers from the high school, a young boy only seven, mothers and fathers. A dear friend lost her husband, home and little dog in a fire. All this said brings me to this…I love to send and receive emails. Most of them are usually jokes, pictures, useful information or maybe an interesting article. I hope those receiving the emails know I’m thinking about them and send them emails because they are my friend. I may rarely, if ever, write a personal note to them but I do think about them as I scroll through my email address book and type in their name before I hit “send”. It’s just a simple way to keep in touch.
When I went to visit my friend, who lost her husband in the fire, before I left, she told me through her tears, “don’t send me any emails since I don’t have a computer any more”. I know her husband can never be replaced but her home and computer can. And if my little emails bring her a tiny ounce of joy, I’ll start sending them again. Her name will stay in my address book.
A couple of those people who have passed away were not only my friend but also my email buddy. Now when I scroll through my address book I pause when I come to their name. I just can’t bring myself to delete it. It’s as if I might erase them from my memory if I delete their name from that little file. One of the girls has been gone for over two years now. She died unexpectedly and suddenly from a brain aneurism. Her face always pops into my mind when I scroll to her name. She was a stay at home mom but volunteered at the school all the time. She loved her daughters and also loved helping the children at school. The other friend died instantly in a car wreck along with her little boy. She was a beautiful girl. I always can see her smile and dimples when I read her name. I know I’ll never forget either of these friends but somehow just seeing their name “makes” me remember them. And I just can’t bring myself to hit delete.
1 comment:
I know what you mean. We have lost several key men in our church lately. They were guys actively involved in lots of areas. I can't bring myself to take them off the rolls or remove them from the directory. I think it comes down to what might be best for their families in our situation. Will it hurt more to see their names or to miss their names? For you, if it comforts you to see their names, leave them.
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