Letter #91 - Amie

Everything in life is cyclical.  We're born, we live, we die, and the circle continues.  I have seen so many cycles in my life, not just the human life, but experiences, friendships, all kinds of cycles.  Last fall, one cycle closed for my husband, but it opened a whole new series of cycles for both of us.  He lost a friend of his to cancer, which was devastating to him, however as a result we were introduced to his friend's family and circle of friends, who folded us in with their love and support instantly.  The result has been a whole new batch of friendships for both of us to foster and grow, and I have been so incredibly thankful for that legacy that Andy has left us.

Letter #91 is going in tomorrow's mail to Andy's daughter Amie.  The first time I met Amie I saw exactly how I have always pictured myself when I will ultimately lose my dad.  She was a mess.  Still smiling and trying so hard to be strong and to pay tribute to his life, his wishes and all of the beautiful and wonderful things he stood for, but she was in so much pain that I just wanted to fold her into my arms and cry with her... and we had never met before.  As time has passed I have seen her several other times, and while she has gotten stronger it is clear that the loss of her father has completely rocked her to her very core.  Even the thought of losing my own dad puts me in touch with those emotions, and I can empathise very deeply.  At the same time, she pushes to move on, to be a strong and wonderful wife and mother, and to be a friend to those who choose to be in her life... including me.  While we don't spend a whole lot of time together one-on-one, I have felt a strong connection to her, and I very much hope that our friendship will continue to grow.


I decided to write Amie to send her some love and support, and to remind her that I was grateful she has entered my life, even if we aren't the closest of closest friends.  She and I have tried a few times to get together and it's never quite worked out due to schedules, etc, so I reminded her of my desire to get that together sometime and for us to spend some time hanging out and just relaxing.

Letter #6 - Wendi

Wendi's letter was a search & rescue attempt of sorts.  Wendi was a friend from our church family camp and could very well have ended up being a part of the Cube Squad (my super awesome photography team at camp) who simply stopped coming to camp.  The first year I thought maybe life had just gotten too busy, maybe they couldn't get the time off work or afford to be away from home that week, or something.  But then the second year went by, and the third, and the fourth... I have really missed her presence there, and her kids (who are BEAUTIFUL!)  The email address I had for her bounces back, and online searches have yielded no results.

Recently I was going through some old papers and came across my records from the last year she was at camp.  These records included a mailing address for her, so I am praying they haven't moved!  I spent a good chunk of my letter updating her on the major events in my life she has missed, and asking about her kids who must be in middle school or high school by now (insane!)  I really hope the letter reaches her, and that maybe I can hear from her in the future and reestablish that friendship.  I think of her often, and wonder whatever happened to them, and hope that whatever it was wasn't something bad, that maybe priorities just changed.  I guess we'll see... making extra sure this one has a return address on it.