Holidays Hard for Several Reasons

I was thinking today about how Christmas has become "hard" this year over other years because I'm hearing from several folks that I only connect with during the holidays that they are either suffering with a huge illness or have passed over this past year and I didn't know that had happened.

I was totally shocked when one of my fellow FEDEXer's that I worked with for years passed away this past February...his widow/wife send me a holiday card and the only thing she mentioned in her own hand writing was that Tom has passed in February...nothing more.  I just sat there staring at what she had written for the longest time because I truly didn't believe it.  

And now I've gotten one of my other cards back from an old friend, Barbara Blessington who lives right here under my nose but I hadn't been in contact with her for probably a year and she doesn't live where she used to and neither of her phones are her numbers any longer.  An internet search turned up nothing, so now I'm turning to friends that might know where she has landed...I suspect she is living with one of her adult kids, but her whereabouts are unknown to me at this time.  I'm hoping for the best instead of the worst........and it saddens me that we have lost touch.  I do want to reconnect if she is able to do so.  

My involvement in the art gallery has given me a large amount of new "friends" and my involvement is so totally 120% that one tends to just unintentionally let others sit it your address book and not connect with you...of course, they haven't either, so it's two fold...not just one sided.  

And my new 36+ art friends are involved, creative and fun folks to be around so I tend to lean their way because I need that in my life right now.  But I still feel bad.  

Another friend that had moved to Oregon had bad news to deliver also...a mutual sewing friend that I personally hadn't seen in probably two years has grown into dementia and that saddens me also....I must reconnect if she is capable.  

This aging process  is also a process in learning how to react when the news you get or come upon isn't all rosy and wonderful....you need to be ready to show your caring side, your compassionate side whenever instead of being stunned and annoyed.  I hope I can be a good enough friend to accomplish this and help my friends along the way.  I come from good stock, good genes...not much in the way of medical problems...let's hope I stay on that side as long as I can.  

Thank goodness I have my ART to keep me focused, creative and of right mind.