Sadness

When there is an unusual call on the voicemail and then your mother calls and asks if you are sitting down, you know it will be bad new. I just didn't know how bad.

My best friend from high school has died. She was hiking in Zion National Park in Utah and fell several hundred feet to her death. I read that in most places on the steep, narrow trail where she was hiking, there were chains to hang on to. But not it this particular spot. She was by herself, but nearby hikers saw her fall and called 911. Her husband was supposed to meet her at a certain place at a certain time and when she wasn't there, he went to the ranger station. She fell around 2 pm on Friday, and they recovered her body around 6:30 pm.

Her daughter called me late last night. That was a tough phone call.

We had kept in touch all these years. I was her maid of honor 30 years ago, and she drove over 600 miles and slept in her car to be at my wedding 21 years ago. I could always be sure I would receive at least one card on my birthday every year and it would be from her.

We met in junior high when her family moved into our district. We were best friends in high school even though we had different interests and different activities. She forgave me when I did a bad job streaking her hair, she forgave me when I did a bad job making her a dress out of a beautiful cream color brocade fabric, she forgave me whenever I acted like an idiot, which, as a teenager (oh, who am I kidding? I still act like an idiot on a regular basis) I was wont to do.

And now she has passed on, leaving a husband, three (grown) children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, friends. And me.