March 3,2021 was a tough day. The sky a beautiful blue with sparse fluffy clouds and just the slightest of winds. Funerals are never on anyone’s to do list. This was a funeral I had to do. Once in a lifetime you are fortunate enough to meet someone that awes you. Once upon a time ago I was aging away from being considered young when I started dating my future (still mine) husband. I was VERY against “meet my parents”, “meet my family”. I could barely handle the oddness of my own family without trying to navigate new folks that ultimately had the power of judgment on their side. I was newly entranced by love. I wanted nothing to do with the possibility of losing him to an unhappy relation who felt I would NEVER be GOOD ENOUGH.

Our first big venture as a couple was to the Big E in Springfield MA. Somehow my future hubster convinced me to go to his Grandmothers house after for Sunday dinner. It was to be the last Sunday gathering there. This old family home was being sold. Nana was getting ready to embrace her new journey into elderly housing. It was on this day that I met Debbie for the first time.

I was asked about myself. I was showed into the house. I was welcomed and I am sure judged by many that day but she herself had an easy smile and a friendly way about her that I instantly liked. She invited my hubby and I to her house many times for gatherings over the years. She never wavered in her manner. She was always gracious to me. I will/do miss her. Never underestimate what you mean to someone. Debbie always made me feel like I belonged. She loved her family very much. I am a better person for having known her. When I find myself in front of her resting place I always stop, say my hellos, and I say a silent hopeful pray that she knows she is loved and is missed.