Gray day, ugly day

This morning as I was walking out the door on a cold regular dreary December day, I received word from a friend that our dear friend, J, has passed away. We knew it was coming since Friday, but that never softened the blow of actually hearing those words. The beaming face, the posh British accent and the bear hugs that many times made my Sunday mornings will be no longer.

J and I had been planning the wedding of Drama and her grand daughter since they were in preschool together. We always talked about the beautiful children they would have. The kids both just looked at us and rolled their eyes as we snickered behind their backs every time they were in the same room.

She had a very unique and special place in mine and the Duke's hearts. She was there the day we met. She was my biggest cheerleader in getting up the nerve to talk to him. She went on and on about how gorgeous he was and that I was the only single person who could do anything about it. J gave him a pink slip of paper to write down my phone number one Sunday. She honestly believed that she was the matchmaker of the century when we told her of our impending wedding...and we were happy to let her take the credit. She gushed over our baby Sunshine. Her cheeks, her blue eyes, her curly hair. Her husband W, told th Duke he believed her to be the most beautiful little girl he has ever seen in the most genuine way you can imagine. 2 years after her famous matchmaking, she knitted the most beautiful pink baby blanket for SS with little hearts all over it in remembrance of the pink sticky note.

I ran into her a few days before I delivered Tinkerbel. I was going in for pre-op paperwork and she was just sitting in the waiting room to be admitted for a biopsy. They thought it was leukemia. I sat there an hugged her, we talked about baby names (her daughter was also pregnant with a girl). She really wanted us to name our baby Claire (it was so British) and promised to come up to see us right after the baby was born. Unfortunately after TB was born, she was rushed to the NICU, and by the time she was out J was too weak and sick to come upstairs. I did hold her up outside her hospital room a week later. I could tell it made her week to see another one of our babies. But other than that... she never saw our littlest angel...nor held her.

I can't really find anymore words. I can't imagine church or choir without her. We offer our prayers and love to all her family and friends as we celebrate the life of a truly amazing woman....our matchmaker.

May God grant her eternal peace.