Memory Lane

I'm spending a lot of time in memories lately.  This was brought on by the memorial of my dear friend who died suddenly last month.  Driving 10 hours and spending an hour and a half at the service was physically and emotionally exhausting.  But, I think it's what I needed.  I also find it interesting that the style of worship I appreciate most is the silent worship of the Friends . . . given how much I talk otherwise.

I was pleased that it was standing room only at the service.  I think it must be comforting to his family to see that so many people made the effort to come spend time remembering this person we all loved.  And, unlike the funeral I attended a couple years ago for a work colleague that left me wondering why I'd never met the person who knew her more intimately knew, it seems from this memorial that we all knew, appreciated, and loved the same person.

Also, this past weekend, the sister of an old friend got married.  I knew this friend when she was a child.  She is the oldest of the children in her family, and it's been fun to watch these children grow up.

Yesterday, while washing strawberries in advance of a meeting, I was reminded of when the young woman, now a bride, was expected.  My friend, her sister, was too young to really understand the concept of gestation and waiting for the baby to arrive.  So, her parents told her that "when the strawberries are here, the baby will come."  Story has it, one morning, my friend came running into her parents' bedroom holding up two, tiny, green strawberries she'd found in the garden (apparently, a morning ritual her parents had previously been unaware of) and insisted that it was time to go to the hospital and get the baby.

I hope she had strawberries at her wedding.  Or on her cake.