Too soon

In the space of a day I learned of the deaths of three acquaintances.

One was a colleague who I knew only slightly but she had been in the library system for years. She was talented, beautiful and gracious.

One was a volunteer I hired and also was a member of my book club. Despite the uneven hand life dealt her, she had a dogged optimism. She lived goodness - it shone through her.

One was a library patron since 1993 and day after day he would burst through the doors and say "How are you, darling?" He read voraciously. His stories from the Foreign Service were endless. If you weren't smiling before he entered, you were by the time he left. He adored opera, his family, words, food, wine,  travel, the world .... and tears came as easily as laughter. I just wrote to his wife - "I'm sure he's now a part of a great gladness somewhere."

Life.

Live it.