“Friends are all we have to get us through this life—
and they are the only things from this world
that we could hope to see in the next.”
Dean Koontz

In this season
Of gratitude
And reflection,
I look warmly back
On those who
Brought me joy,
And who brought
Still more joy
Along with them.
So it was with you.
Too hard to believe
You've been gone
For nearly two years.
You who were
Such an integral part
Of my life
For so long.
You were the first
With whom
I'd share my news,
And the only one
To whom I could reach out
At four in the morning
When the pain and fear
Became too much.
You were the one who came
When all I said was
“I need you,”
And who forgave me
When I misspoke,
Or when I was
Thoughtless,
As I so often am.
Did you know
That you were like
A Christmas fir
Standing strong
Against the winds
In your life
With many
Twinkling lights of hope
And good will
Bedecking your boughs?
I did not know
Until much later
How many gifts you harbored
Beneath your branches.
In a way,
Your family became mine:
Your daughter with whom
I once took a memorable trip
To a place far to the north;
Your son who teased me
With an impish grin
I can still see today;
And your other son,
Who once gave me
A cedar sapling
He'd pulled from the hillside
Along a highway.
To them I was merely
Your friend,
But to me,
They were family
Because you were
My friend, sister, and aunt
All rolled into one.
So during this
Season of gratitude,
To your memory
I raise my steaming
Mug of mulled cider
And with a soft smile
Give thanks
For the time when
Our friendship flourished,
When you were a cornerstone
Of my every day
Whether we spoke or not,
And for the memories
I'll carry in my heart
Forever

c. 2024


*In memory of my dear friend, Mary Jo Badura Kuchera*