Mary

Mary left a week ago on Saturday. She sold the double bed where she slept with her husband before he died. After she gave the bulk of her household goods to Goodwill, it took only boxes to pack her belongings into the back seat of her Toyota Camry. I gave her two books on tape to listen to on the drive through the Carolinas and the Middle Atlantic States. She was headed home to live with her sister in Rhodes Island. Just outside of Providence. Everything in Rhodes Island is just outside of Providence.

I said good-bye to her after church. We were pew mates, if there is such a thing. She reserved our seats with her Bible and a cup of coffee tucked under the pew while she served as a greeter. I wished her well. How did that get started?

And even though we exchanged email addresses, I know we won’t keep in contact. I don’t keep in contact with those who are closer to me, why would I email someone who I have known only on Sundays for the past five or six months? That’s the way it is.

Oddly, I’ve missed her. I pray she is well. Do we all end up going home?