At last glance

We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.

In the shadows of the evening, I celebrate a life well lived. Today we learned of the passing of a friend....a co worker of 25 years. A nurse who left her tracks in so many ways...who touched so many lives with simple joy. A woman who knew her story started with her family. A nurse who touched hearts, hands and souls....and left her footprints there. A woman who taught us when to stand up...and how to let go. A nurse who showed us the beauty to be found in the shadows of life... the fun to found in working a night shift... the joy to found in the first cry of a newborn baby... the lessons to be learned from the depths of grief when a baby died. A mother who never gave up, never backed down. A woman who touched the world with smiles, hugs, cards, back rubs, birthday cakes and fresh flowers. A friend who taught me to believe in happy endings...to count my blessings... and find my riches in the simple joys in life. In the shadows of this evening, filled with the regrets of unspoken words and unsent messages, I remind myself how blessed we were to have called her our friend. I remind myself how lucky I was to have known someone so hard to say goodbye to. Good journey, my friend...what a fine life you lived, and what tracks you've left behind!