Monday, November 29, 2004

There's No Place Like Home

Click to hear Glinda

I lost a very dear friend Wednesday, just before Thanksgiving.  It seems to me that a lot of people choose the holidays to make their passing.  Maybe it's their way of making sure we never forget them when we celebrate our holidays.  I, for one, know I'll never forget Sandy, holiday or no holiday!

Sandy had a passion for helping people be their best.  She also loved The Wizard of Oz, and belonged to a wonderful group of people in her "Oz Group."  I can't speak for the many ways she touched the lives of other people, but I'm certainly qualified to express my gratitude and love for the way she helped me change my life!

Like the Wizard of Oz, Sandy have me the courage to take my life in my own hands and live it to its fullest.  She gave me the heart to have compassion on my family, who have to live with me through my occasional moodiness.  She encouraged me to use my brain in ways other than every day stuff, and use my mind the way God intended, for here and for the other side of the rainbow.  She's proven to all of us that there's no place like home  as she passed from our black and white world to her world filled with all the colours of the rainbow. 

Some of us who knew Sandi, knew of her health problems and knew our time together would be short, although none of us wanted to think about that.  We made every moment special, said "I love you" often, and made every effort to communicate, validate and appreciate each other.  We made a promise to each other; when one of us dies, we'd send a sign to let the other know we made it. Her sign to me was the Witch of the West.  It was no surprise to me that Sandy's time was nearing when, for three nights in a row, The Wizard of Oz aired on our local TV station. For anyone who follows the Wizard of Oz, you know how very rare this is! Sandy was due to have surgery on the third day the showed aired.  She passed away the next morning. 

There were others she chose to, rather than dwell on her health issues, relish in the joy they gave her.  She was able to escape the everyday burdens of her health while she chatted with her favorite online groups.  These people made her life special in their own way! 

What I want for you to take from this story is to make every moment special.  Never let a conversation pass without saying something special about the person you're talking to.  Tell your loved ones EVERY DAY that you love them.  Make every effort to make them feel appreciated and cared for.  When your time comes to make that journey to the other side of the rainbow, the munchkins you leave behind will know that they were loved, and they'll still feel connected to you though your love.  Remember - love never dies.

In loving memory...

Dorothy says 'Let's get out of here'

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear of your loss......  The Wizard of Oz is a wonderful sentiment to remeber her by!

Tracy

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear your friend passed on. My prayers are with you.

Hugs,
Michelle

Anonymous said...

Very poignant. I can feel the emotions in this entry. Glad you appreciated her while she was alive. My condolences to your and your friend's family.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful tribute! There is no greater gift we can give to the world than to be a good friend and remembered fondly after we are gone.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful tribute to your friend, your words are eloquent and your heart is huge.  May God continue to bless you this holiday season. -Kelly http://journals.aol.com/pixiedustnme/Inmyopinion

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful tribute to your friend.  She sounds like she was a very beautiful person.  And I believe there was no coincidence with the Wizard of Oz being on.

I found your entry through Scalzi's assignment where he asked us to what our most important entry of the past year was.  My entry is about my husband John, who was recently diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant.  If you would like to check it out, here is the link:

http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink/entries/896
Krissy