My father died when I was 15 years old. He had spent a good deal of his life away from our home as he worked on the C.P.R. After his retirement I had little time for him.

Most of my associates these past few years have been widows. Long gone are the together times I had with Harry and probably didn’t appreciate near enough. But my glass is half-full (rather than half-empty) because of these wonderful ladies who keep in touch. They care and they understand.

Ah yes, ”Far away places with their strange sounding names,” were a part of my life for 20 years. I think I have been to 26 places in the world. I wish I could remember accurately what I really saw. In checking my old photos, one beach looks very much like another. Yes, having a travel agency kept us on the move.

“Bereft”…isn’t that a lovely word? A bit old fashioned but sometimes the “old” words speak more plainly. And yes, I am bereft. My dear friend Mary is moving away.