Happy Birthday Eve..

August is probably the worst time of the year for me.
8 years ago today my life changed
Why? Let me explain the best way I can.

Every body has friends, I am lucky to have many.
I am still close friends with those I had in childhood,
friends from High School, friends I worked with.
friends from Church and through volunteer activities.
We moved into our neighborhood, and became involved in our community, worked on campaigns, volunteered at our kids schools, we met many people we became close too.
Over the years we have lost many good friends, it has been hard on Hubba who has not only lost
all of his siblings, but most of his close childhood friends too.

But I digress.

When we moved into this community over 40 years ago.
I met someone who would become the best friend anyone would ever want.
You know what I mean?
Someone who you can tell anything too.
Someone who accepts you warts and all.
Someone who would come and sit at your bedside if you were ill, and she did.
Someone who would baby sit not only your kids but your dog as well.
Someone you could be with and not say a word, but leave feeling you had just had the
best time of your life.
Well for me that was Arlis,
It would be way to long to go into how we became friends.
Just know that we became close.
Arlis, who was widowed, was about to retire from her job as an LPN at a local nursing home.
She planned on putting in her notice on Monday Aug 3rd 1998.
I was so excited, because we had made plans to go to New York City for a trip to celebrate and then to Connecticut to visit her daughter and family.
On that Monday I was home supervising the carpet layers as they put in new carpeting in my family room.
The phone rang and it was Arlis, she had not gone to work that day because she had been up with chills and headache all night.
She was calling me to tell me she had a new granddaughter Eve, and she was so excited.
I congratulated her,and told her to rest.
Her son who was in med school and lived at home was out of town and would be back late Tuesday the 4th.

I did not talk to her again until late Tuesday night, she said she was tired,
so I told her I would stop over in the morning.
I did, around noon, and when I saw her I thought I would die.
I could see how ill she was.
I wanted her to go to the Doctor and she wanted to wait till her son came home.
I argued with her but she was determined to wait.
I went home and called my hubba and told him to come home from work, because we needed to get her to hosp.

Why didn't I just call 911?

By the time he got home, so had her son, and I went with him to the Hosp.
Before I left the hospital that evening I told her I loved her and not to worry.
We thought then it was pneumonia and she was in good hands.
It was the last time we would talk.
By the following Sunday she had died from a rare strep infection of the blood,
and no idea where it came from.

The following Wednesday was her funeral, her daughter, son in law and newborn little girl Eve flew in for the funeral.
Leaving their oldest daughter at her paternal Grandma's.

Little Eve turns 8 today, Arlis never met her.
I have received pictures and she is Arlis's clone, not only in looks but according to her daughter in personality and gentleness.

I am sad today, and I am sure that Arlis's family is too.

Arlis was my soul mate and I miss her..

Happy Birthday Eve, you had a very special Grandma!