In my life

In My Life

It’s strange to think how many people I have known in my life that I’ve lost touch with. Good friends have come and gone, and I regret now that I didn’t keep up with them better. I guess I was always moving on to the next big thing in my life.

I got a message today that a friend of mine from 1976 died two years ago. I completely lost touch with her ages ago, and now I find that she’s gone.

Mary shared an old wooden house with Nolan Thornberry and me in the summer of 1976, when we all worked for the Forest Service in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. I remember her as a short young woman with long brown hair, usually wearing a peasant blouse and overalls. I guess that was pretty typical back then.

She was quiet and gentle and quick with a smile, but intense when defending her opinions. I picture her putting flowers in a vase on the table and warning me not to knock them over. She was proud of her Irish name and you could see her firm Irish Catholic upbringing.

I always wondered what happened to her. Her obituary says she went to law school and became a fierce advocate for the rights of children and the disabled. That sounds right, just like her. She got married, had a daughter, and lived a rich life. I discovered all that at the same time I heard she had died. How could the years have flown by like that? In my mind she’s still twenty-one.

Rest in peace, my friend. I’m glad I knew you.

In My Life by the Beatles

There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve loved them all