September 15, 2023
Every friend who comes into our world are gifts from God, but for one reason or another, some are more special. The news of the sudden passing of one of my special friends is the inspiration for this post, the first one I’ve written in a long time. So many emotions are coursing through my body, pouring them out is sure to help.
It was just five days ago that René contacted me, asking if we were still going to be here in late November. They were planning to spend a few days in Branson on their way to their winter home in Bandera, Texas, and I was thrilled that they wanted to spend some time with us. It was very likely that we would be, so she and I began making plans. We texted back and forth feverishly over a period of a couple of hours. Ever the planner, Rene laid out their itinerary and invited us to join them whenever and wherever we could…Silver Dollar City or maybe at the Sight & Sound Theater to see the production of “Esther.” I raved so much about the Keeter Center at the College of the Ozarks that they added another day to their trip, just to include a visit there. The one thing we decided upon definitely was lunch on Wednesday. I can just imagine René writing it on her calendar. I know I did.
Their visit wasn’t going to be until after Thanksgiving, and here we were making hard and fast plans as though it were just days away. In the course of our conversation I commented that it wasn’t for two months yet and I’m sure there’d be time to figure out the details. I was so wrong.
Shock. Disbelief. Utter sadness. Tears. All before the sun rose. I’m grateful that it was a friend who broke the news to me. I would have hated to have found out by reading it on Facebook.
I’m grateful for my daily practice of gratitude, for I’ve learned that it’s the perfect antidote for depression, among many other things. This was one of those instances when I thought gratitude wouldn’t be easy because I was so sad, but once I started, one reason after another to be grateful for having had Rene in my life came to mind. Right away I began to feel better.
Of all the places and RV parks we could have chosen to go to that first year we were winter Texans, we chose Pioneer RV Resort in Bandera. I’m grateful we did because that’s where I first met Rene in 2017; she was the winter activities director. Given her outgoing and friendly personality, she was perfect for the job. She and Terry were among the people we couldn’t wait to see when we returned to Bandera for the next five winters.
Soon after I started writing this, my daughter called. I’m grateful that she calls most every morning, just to check in. I told her about René–Kate had met her and Terry a couple of years ago when they went and hour out of their way on their way to Nashville and went to Hopkinsville, Kentucky to see Kate’s brewery. Rene had contacted me weeks ahead of time, asking if Kate might give them a tour–I guess we’d bragged so much about her business, they really wanted to see it, despite the fact that it set them back a couple of hours. That was typical of René and Terry, it was always about others and connection.
When I got back on Facebook at the beginning of this year after being absent for a couple of years, René immediately wrote me and said that she was so happy I’d gotten back on. I knew she meant it. René was the epitome of sincerity. She commented on most things I posted…so supportive, so complimentary, so René. And so my interest was especially piqued this morning when a mutual friend commented that she had read René’s comment to the photo I’d posted yesterday morning. I had not.
I was stunned to learn that René had posted a message to me just 16 hours earlier. She said she missed the morning greeting, “so Good afternoon instead.” I can just imagine her smiling as she typed. She went on and said she could go a day or two without Facebook, but that she “loved staying connected.” Her choice of words made me break down. We had a connection, for sure.
It’s said that old friends are the best friends and while that may be true, the friendships we make when we’re old are just as precious, if not perhaps more. I’m especially grateful for having a lifestyle that introduces me to many others I probably would not have otherwise met, and then to become Friends with certain ones. I’m grateful to have been friends with René these past six years. She left an indelible impression on so many others well beyond her hometown, and she’ll remain in our hearts always. Rest in peace, my dear Friend.
In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. ~Psalm 94:19
