and continued...

Okay, to finish this...
I did forget to mention that I called M (she used to live in the town where I would be heading). She's so good to me. A super lady who knows just what to say to me! She gives excellent directions, too! And I emailed a couple friends. Yeah, I was real nervous. I did get an email first thing this morning that R was thinking of me. What a boost that was to keep that thought with me.

Then there were *all* the things that I wanted to say to my friend. The comfort and care to offer. Knowing that I would have but a few moments to hug and hold her. Amid tears for her, the thoughts just wouldn't stop repeating in my head.

Since I couldn't get back to sleep (I did sleep from about 1 - 2 am) I finally got up at six. I had some light breakfast (I eat dry bread just to fill the stomach void when I'm a "mess") and a half cup of coffee. Thankfully the newspapers arrived extra early, all 105 of them! A got up and dressed while I counted out the routes, then we folded and bagged and dashed out the door. We were done by 8:15. The early exercise did my head some good and by the time we were leaving for our drive, I was much more at ease.....not perfect, mind you!

Everything went fine drivewise. We arrived earlier than we anticipated which is always my preference! Yeah, those are other thoughts....what if's....flat tire, traffic jam, lost, car trouble. Of course, none of those happened. But I was still worried that something would prevent me from being there as promised. A was a huge help. A pleasure on a sorrowful day. Good with signs and tolls, too. She's hired as navigator!

She lost it a bit with the discomfort of waiting at the funeral home amid strangers. We were waiting outside to head for the cemetery as the service would be graveside. I assured her that I knew no one else other than my friend, that yes, it could be a little uncomfortable, but friendship was the reason I was there. I was there to give my support to my friend, A was there to support me. That worked.

I'm not going to talk about the funeral other than to say it was "just right".

I met my friend's mom for the first time. She is a doll. She is soooo proud of her daughter. As a matter of fact, of her other children, too. She was radiant when she talked about them and made sure that she found her other children and introduced each to me. I told her that she had certainly done a good job! That I have one of the best friends in the world-her daughter.