Friends Move Away

I have a friend that is moving away from me.  It seems like this happens in stages.  I'll go for a long time with my circle of friends staying very stable and then in a short period of time, there is a shake up due to one circumstance or another.  When I was younger, it used to bother me and sometimes hurt me deeply when this happened.  But now, I realize that this is just part of life. 

My friend, Anne, is moving.  There is a garage sale going on to clear out the stuff they don't want to pack and take with them to their new home.  Lucky for me it's no more than an hours drive.  Another lucky thing is our grandchildren attend the same school so there is a good chance I will see her at least twice a year at their school programs.  We never miss watching our grandchildren perform.  Anne has lived two houses away for nearly 14 years.  I used to watch her son, Brian, when he was out of school on breaks.  He and I became very close and I love him to pieces.  He's now 21 years old and has moved away but I see him when he visits his parents.  Anne and I have never been the type of friends to talk every day but we have shared the big things and when she's needed help, I'm the one she calls and visa versa.  She suffers from migraine headaches and when her husband has been out of town on business, I'm the one who has driven her to the ER for treatment.  She donated a kidney to her brother and she and I sat on her patio many afternoons during her recovery talking about the miracle of recovery and how amazing our bodies were to mend from something like that.  I'm going to miss seeing her at the mail box when I go down to fetch our daily stack of junk mail and bills.  She is one of those people who has touched my life in a positive way and has left an impact on my heart that I'll always treasure.