My heart is breaking.
One of my (really, our) dearest friends from Castle Rock died last week on Sept. 23.
Jo had been struggling with cancer for years, but it really hit her hard the past few months. She was able to get to her mom's 100th birthday celebration in Pella, Iowa...but went downhill soon after that.
I called her Josephine -- because she had the elegance and dignity of Napoleon's first wife. Jo wasn't a 'fahncy' person - after all, she had the stoicism, frugality and practical nature of her Hollander blood. And I knew that side very well, because I saw so much of it in my Dutch grandparents and their kids -- including my dad.
She was smart, clever and kind. She was far more patient than I was, with difficult situations and people. And her faith in her Savior never wavered, even during hard or uncertain times.
Josephine went through life with me, from happiness to struggles to contentment. We worked years of Senior Luncheons and other events together, sang on Worship Team at First Baptist and Creekside together, went out to eat with our mutual dear friend Chris...over and over and over through the decades. She and Chris were (and are) two of my heart's dearest friends. Our kids, now in their 30s and 40s, grew up together from babyhood.
I loved her -- and she loved me.
Here's her obituary. Rest well, my dear friend. See you soon.
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