Monday marks one year since a much beloved co-worker suddenly passed away. It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by already.
During the normal course of work, I occasionally come across messages I still have from Leslie – a note, a card, an email with a few words of support and appreciation. While cleaning up some company historical records recently, I came across several photos of her that made me smile.
Leslie and I were different in many ways, but we cherished our common bonds of a being part of the company’s earliest history, our commitment to the founder’s vision, and love of our team members. Our most frequent non-work topic of conversation involved stories of our children; we each had a boy and a girl, though mine were much older than hers! We were both very proud Moms.
While there may be a twinge of sadness as these memories pop up, there is always heart-warming as I briefly reflect on them.
Last year I wrote a gratitude post about her “really good spirit.”
Today, I am thankful that Leslie’s really good spirit lives on.
I got an email from a co-worker yesterday who noted the upcoming anniversary, stating simply, “I miss her terribly!”
At a neighborhood event last night, another co-worker shared a story about one of her peers who brought a 2013 devotional calendar over to her yesterday. The message for the 27th, the anniversary of Leslie’s passing, was about missing a friend.
I suspect that the next few days will bring more such remembrances. They will be framed in both tears and smiles. As I shared with the woman who sent me the email yesterday, “I miss her often, too. You know what that’s a sign of? Love.”
