I planned on posting a blog today and it was either gonna be some of my views about the current state of our country… yay!… or mine and Amanda’s backyard maple sugarin’ operation… a non-sarcastic yay! I’ve started writing both. One made me kind of anxious with a hint of anger and disappointment. The other was just kinda fun to think about as we’re getting things ready… and are excited for!… the Sugarin’ Season…! This is post is something completely different.
When I walked down the driveway and opened the mailbox there were a couple of small plastic shipping bags, some junk mail, and a blue envelope addressed to… Kateri. I recognized the handwriting but flipped it over to see the return address for confirmation. Yup, it was from who I thought it was from!… and a rush of emotions and memories came flooding over me.
I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Normal things that I’m sure we all spend too much time thinking about. None the less, the ol’ noggin’ just seems to be jumping all over the place in a mental game of Whack-a-Mole, but when I saw the writing on that blue envelope… I was filled with warmth and any type of uneasy or anxious feeling I had at that moment due to the state of The World or my own personal challenges… went away. Yes, it was somewhat shocking at first, but once that subsided… I felt the Love this experience was providing for all involved. Here is what this experience sorta means to me… a few things I thought about.
Widower Notes n Thoughts… on Kateri Got a Card Today…:
- I love that my friend’s love for Kateri is still so strong it compelled her to write her another letter.
- I love this friend… and her husband… and their families. They’ve been in my Life for 24 years.
- We met working at a restaurant. We were in our early/mid-twenties… doing those early/mid twenty’s restaurant worker things.
- We don’t talk much anymore, but this friend and her husband have seen and been a part of the truly joyous times in Kateri’s and my life, the decent days when we’re all just kinda pluggin’ along, and the scary/sad/worrisome/fucked up days. We’ve been through some stuff together. Some seriously fun stuff… and some seriously… really… not fun stuff. They are beautiful people… people I should talk to more.
- I love that I got to be the one to receive the letter… and then placed it with the others.
- This friend has sent multiple cards/letters… a box… over the years. I haven’t opened any of them… they’re addressed to Kateri! Instead, they live on a shelf under a stand-up mirror in our bedroom.
- I love that Amanda helped me search for the cards/letter… and a box… because I wanted to take a picture of them for this post… but couldn’t recall where I put them! You know, when I got “organized” and put them somewhere I would “easily remember”…?! Ya… I didn’t remember.
- I love that Amanda was supportive and there for me as the tears started flowing down my cheeks when we located the unopened cards/letters… and a box… that my friend has sent to my wife over the years. Another reason I love Amanda.
- Dating a Widow/Widower (if you’re not one) can provide you with all sorts of interesting… some might say fun!… emotional and psychological experiences in your relationship!
- Widowhood… almost 7 years in… and although it’s not very frequent these days, it can still hit you like a ton of baby elephants. (Not a full-size elephant… they’re too big! And I don’t want to be hit by just one fifth of an elephant!… I think that would be a bit messy for my squeamish stomach.)
- I love Kateri and miss her dearly… I know a lot of people do… because Kateri was pretty frickin’ awesome.
Thirty Days of Mo(u)rning 