Carol and Mardie

When we were moving out of our house, on the last day it got really crazy. We were nearing the end and my mother and I were cleaning and clearing out my bedroom. In the closet, I found the boxes that I stored old cards, letters, school papers, etc. in. I started sifting through a bit but realized I didn't have time to sort stuff at that point. So I gathered it all up and stuck it in a small suitcase. As I was taking a final look around, I noticed a card laying on the carpet. We'd been working in there for a while at that point, and I hadn't seen it before. I picked it up and realized it was a Thank You card from my dear friend Carol, who passed away from cancer in 2006. There had been a divorce that tore a group of friends apart, and a remarriage that brought her great joy. We tried our best to stay friends with both and were there when Carol remarried. When she became ill, she kept it a secret. I never got to visit her and say good-bye. That has bothered me so much. The card was thanking us for our wedding gift and friendship. I don't remember getting it and was struck by the fact it was the only card left out. I silently thanked Carol for the support and took it as a sign that everything is alright with her and I knew we'd make it through the move after that. This adventure was something that would have delighted her!

When I worked at the YMCA, I met a woman named Mardie. She was in her 70's at that time, and swimming competitively in the Senior Olympics, travelling the world to go to different meets. She had had a very interesting life, her parents were ex-patriots living in France and hanging out with names like F. Scott Fitzgerald for a time. They then lived on the Pacific coast where she could hear the surf pounding on the shore. As an adult, she lived in Europe with her husband who was an educator in schools there. Then they moved to Maine. I was always fascinated by her past and the things she was still doing. I lost touch with her after leaving the Y, but had heard through mutual friends that her health had deteriorated and she no longer recognized people. While moving, we had found the old leather hat she had given Alan, we still wear it when its raining and we need to feed the horses. She got a kick out of how he looked in it, a bit like a hobo, LOL! I had meant to ask a mutual friend how Mardie was doing when I visited with her just after the move, but had forgotten.

Anyways, a few weeks after moving, we decided we needed more glasses from the storage trailer. People had given me newspapers to wrap stuff in since I don't read them. So as I was pulling glasses from the box and unwrapping the newspaper, I noticed on the ground below the trailer was an uncrumpled, perfectly folded piece of newspaper. I asked Alan to pick it up and asked him where it came from. He didn't know but when he turned it over, there was a picture of Mardie. She had died in June. I had not heard that and was sad to learn the news. It was the oddest thing as all the other newspaper was crumpled and in the box of glasses. Even Alan was a little taken aback. I'm glad Mardie is at peace now, and cherish the memory of her.