In Memoriam

This week I did something I have never had to do before; delete a friend from my email address book because they had died.

I had lost contact with this friend. The last time we had met was a week before I married in 2004. We had sailed together and as our lives continued on different bits of the planet, we had literally drifted apart. But in July 2004, she was sailing with her family in Scotland, and I was "home" in the UK briefly for my wedding. We met up, and the intervening years melted away as we laughed over old sea stories.

For a couple of years I got the family "round robin" at Christmas, the last one with news that she and her husband were moving to Nigeria (she was a doctor). I had assumed that the lack of news after that was because of the challenge of living in Nigeria.

Then last week I had dinner with a mutual friend and he dropped the bombshell. Cancer.

My friend had three small children, the eldest her own biologically, the youngest two adopted.

Rest in Peace Lisa. I won't forget you.