When a new friend loses a father…

I didn’t know my friend’s father but I did know that he flew across the country often to be with him — and his father was ins his late 90’s, hovering on 100.

That is a remarkable achievement.

It is often due in some small part to a caring family network, to children who check in often, to others like drivers, companions, nurses who care.

I remember when my late sister Kitty died, it was surprisingly comforting to get cards and letters from folks who remembered bits  and pieces of her life.

I still hasten to send a condolence card when I know the mourning is new.  A physical reminder of the person who’s no longer here is not much, but it’s a small hedge against the loneliness one may feel later in the dark of the night when there’s nobody to call.