Gone now

Today was a day of getting things done, taking care of the piles of untended correspondence and bills, taking the girls to get their shots, getting my license renewed, etc.

Then I got a call. My friend Jess, who has been ill with terminal cancer, passed away today. I've been friends with her and Marvin for what seems like forever. She was a kind, generous, and gentle sort, never demanding your attention but always worth it. I keep seeing flashes of her, at an afternoon party, at my bridal shower, at her wedding, laughing and smiling, or listening intently to someone talk. She was one of the good ones, and even though everyone knew it was coming, it still is a shock and feels outrageously unfair that she should be gone.

And then I received an email that Jane Yolen's husband David also passed away today. I have been checking in on her journal once in a while, and knew that his health was deteriorating. My sympathies to her and her family. From Jane's journal, a Millay quote...

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave,
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

So if you see this today, have a toast (or a kind thought) for Jess and David. The world is a lesser place without them.