(Suki - I held off posting this because I didn't want to be a downer, so I'm glad you posted what you did.
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The funny stuff is definitely the way to go, but I want to share something a little more serious that reminds me of her incredible spirit. The lessons I learned from her will always stay with me & will help see me through any hard times ahead.
After her diagnosis, it was so typical of her to keep going and not let it affect her participation here. We'll never know if she suspected that the end was near, but maybe it was just as well. I know she didn't want things to change. She wanted to be able to keep helping us by sharing her wisdom, making us laugh, & giving valuable advice until she had to leave us. I feel sure she's somewhere wonderful, watching over us.
You know that saying - not to be sad because it's over, but be happy because it happened. We're not there yet, but I know we will be. Her lesson was - keep going with your head held high - with dignity & hopefulness. We'll always be grateful to have had such a beautiful friend.
This is from an email she wrote me - an answer to one I sent her, saying how brave she & Bubba were after they found out they both had cancer. In it, she mentions having good friends she can be honest with - and that included all of us.
From Ann in 2015 (I believe she made it another 7 yrs. thanks to this attitude): "Joanie, Bubba/George and I are both pretty optimistic people and I have to say this did really hit both of us hard, but sometimes something is so big that you can't take the time and energy to feel sorry for yourself, you need all you've got to fight back. So we're taking it one test at a time, one medical procedure at a time, one prayer at a time...and we got this far in pretty good shape. It brought us even closer in a way that only someone that had been through this would understand, but I think you do too. We had to hang on to our sense of humour as we took time to discuss..."What if I die first...how will you be?" and vice versa. We decided in the end that neither one of us was going to check out any time soon, but we do have our wills and wishes in order for when we are 105. We made up our minds that we are not "dying of cancer" but instead we are "living with cancer" and therein lies the difference. And I thank God every day for good hospitals and wonderful doctors who know what they're doing and have never once suggested that this is going to end badly. I live in faith that they are right.
So don't give me my halo yet, you'd be amazed what you can do when you have no alternative, you get to choose only the attitude with which you do it. I often tell members on the board "You are stronger than you think" and I mean it. When you set the fear aside and face life head on you can do just about anything you set your mind to doing.
I'm babbling on, but I just wanted to let you know that I was really touched by your letter and that having dear friends like you, with whom I can be totally honest, is a huge part of seeing me through this and keeping my heath, mentally and physically both.
Love you lots, big hugs to you and "Mr. Hev". Look out your window at that beautiful world in front of you and just know that all this is bigger than either of us and God's got our back. Ann"