The older I get, the more of my friends live only in my memory.
Nobody warned me about that part of getting older. We lose our parents, and we know that’s coming. But losing friends, one by one, is something I didn’t see coming.
And they leave little things behind in our homes.
A card in a drawer. A scarf on a hook. A dish on a shelf.
For me, it was a bright red sweater.
A dear friend gave it to me many years ago. She loved red.
She wore it to church, to lunch and to the grocery store. It always looked wonderful on her.
I don’t wear red. (I’m more of a navy and gray person.) But she was so pleased when I opened it that I kept it for years.
I wore it twice in ten years.
After she passed, I couldn’t give it away. Letting go of her sweater felt like letting go of her.
This September, I finally did. And I learned a lot about what to keep from the friends we’ve lost. I also learned how to let go of the rest.
If you have gifts from friends who have passed, this is for you. Go slowly. There’s no hurry here.