A Sad Anniversary

It's been a year since I got the shocking news my good friend had died suddenly. What a start it was to 2013.

To say I miss her would be an understatement. I think about her all the time and still find myself longing for one of our long phone calls where we would be reminiscing and laughing about childhood antics and stories about life in our old country. I miss our how-are-things-this-is-just-a-quick-call-to-check-on-you which sometimes was really short and other times could be a good old-fashioned gabfest.

Her birthday came and I remembered, just no card this time. Same with Christmas. For whatever reason, I never got around to sending out Christmas cards. The box made it to the dining room table but nothing further happened to it except to be put back from whence it came. I received cards from friends and one was from my friend's daughter who had decided to follow her Mom's tradition and send cards to her Mom's friends.

To make sure family and friends did not think I was letting go of a tradition I love, I called everyone on my Christmas card list, and my friend's daughter as well, to wish them a Merry Christmas.  It was the first Christmas without my friend but her daughter stepped up to keep one of her mother's traditions alive making an old friend very happy.

It was indeed a year of firsts without her but she will always be remembered, even as we move towards the second and subsequent anniversaries. Good friends are remembered fondly. We should live life in such a way that when we are gone, we are missed and remembered fondly.

 Will keep you posted.

Why Bother Stocking Up

Why do I bother stocking up on extra items? Okay, this works for some things I use on a regular basis such as paper products, soap, toothpaste and laundry products but for some items, I can guarantee I will forgot I have extra on hand.

When I go through my kitchen cupboards, I come across items, way at the back, that I had forgotten about and have been buying on a regular basis. This is wasteful and shameful as I am spending money on what I already have and sometimes end up throwing out goods that have passed their expiry date.

The icing on the cake though was finding a container of de-icer crystals in my garage, today, hiding in plain sight, long after after I had used what I thought was the last, during the recent ice storm. As luck would have it, none could be found in stores and I kept telling myself I should have bought extra before winter started.

To think I  have been walking gingerly along my ice-coated walkway and driveway and all this time, there was de-icer in the garage. In 2014, I vow to be better at keeping track of what I already have; it's the sensible thing to do.

Will keep you posted.