爱的遗赠 The Legacy

    When my husband, Bob, died very suddenly in January , I received condolences from people I hadn't heard from in years: letters, cards, flowers, calls, visits. I was overwhelmed with grief, yet uplifted by this outpouring of love from family, friends and even mere acquaintances. 

    One message touched me profoundly. I received a letter from my best friend from sixth grade through high school. We had drifted somewhat since graduation in , as she stayed in our hometown and I had not. But it was the kind of friendship that could quickly resume even if we lost touch for five or ten years. 

    Her husband, Pete, had died perhaps 0 years ago at a young age, leaving her with deep sorrow and heavy res- ponsibilities: finding a job and raising three young children. She and Pete, like Bob and I, had shared one of those rare, close, "love-of-your-life-you-can-never- forget" relationships. 

    In her letter she shared an anecdote about my mother (now long deceased). She wrote, "When Pete died, your dear mother hugged me and said, 'Trudy, I don't know what to say… so I'll just say I love you.'" 

    She closed her letter to me repeating my mother's words of so long ago, "Bonnie, I don't know what to say … so I'll just say I love you." 

    I felt I could almost hear my mother speaking to me now. What a powerful message of sympathy! How dear of my friend to cherish it all those years and then pass it on to me. I love you. Perfect words. A gift. A legacy.