I am having a couple of upgrades added to my blog by the good folks at http://elegantwebscapes.com/

And of course Lisa is responsible for my design and is the most gracious of hosts (she is NOT responsible for the content however, so don’t blame her!).

But that is not what this post is about. I mentioned to her in a recent email that one of the first posts I had read on her blog had affected me deeply. She appeared somewhat surprised to hear that. I decided to tell the back-story here.

It was a year ago this month that I encountered Just a Girl in the World for the first time. Lisa had submitted a new design for Kate at Electric Venom, a blog I read regularly (you can find her and Lisa on my blogroll). Anyway, Kate invited her readers to take a looksee over at Lisa’s, so off I went. And there I found her telling of the story of Ann and George.

It is a beautifully written piece, and it is also very sad. I would have been moved regardless, but the story affected me so deeply because it reminded me of the struggle my dear friend Linda was going through in her battle with cancer. A few days after reading this post I got the call I had been dreading for months…. Linda was no longer responding to any treatment and was being moved to a hospice in Phoenix where she would be made as comfortable as possible for whatever time she had left.

Before I got on the plane to spend a few days with Linda at the end of her life, I printed a copy of Lisa’s post to carry with me. In an odd way, I found courage and strength from the story of Ann and George. Their love, their grace, their dignity. I wanted to be there for Linda and this story inspired me to rise above my own selfish sense of loss and allowed me to be a comforting friend and caregiver. We laughed and cried and remembered the special times we had shared, and I will always treasure those last moments together. Linda was the bravest person I have ever known. She never lost her faith or her humanity and despite crushing blows that would have destroyed lesser beings (her daughter committed suicide several months earlier), Linda fought on until her body finally failed. But her spirit never did.

Anyway, I mentioned in an earlier post that I had found several emails from Linda as I closed out my archives at work. And she has been especially on my mind as the anniversary of her death approaches. I also found a link to Lisa’s post titled “George”
in my old email. While I was in Phoenix I shared it with Linda’s sister and she agreed it sounded so much like Linda and Rick, and she was also moved by the power of love the story conveyed. You will be too, so go have a read.

So Lisa, a belated thank-you. You must be one hell of a caregiver, touching the lives of people you have never met through your compassionate words.

As a postscript, I got wrapped up in the events of my own life and struggles after Linda’s death and was an infrequent visitor to many of the blogs I had once followed. When I found out I was moving to Korea, I made the decision to get my own blog to share my experiences with family and friends back home. And yes, to share my views on politics and world events. I spent a week on blogspot and was not at all satisfied with the result. I started making some inquiries, and then I remembered Lisa. She had me set up and running in no time, and I am one very satisfied customer. Funny how the world works out sometimes, isn’t it?