Some friends come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same. Darlene was one of them. She shared our joys, hardships, and our tragedies with her kind and gentle manner. Her presence was a gift to all who knew her. It is the legacy she leaves behind.

A German Proverb states: The death of a friend is equivalent to the loss of a limb. We say goodbye to Darlene’s form, but not her essence. It is in the air we breath. We will always be together by “heartstrings into infinity.” Wherever she goes go, part of us is  with her.

Losing one of us made me reflect on our unique, inspiring sister tribe and the “Tapestry of Life” we created. There were moments when it appeared to be nothing more than a jumble of threads, tangled and frayed. Nothing made sense. But each time we turned it over we saw a master piece of rich colors, texture, and patterns that made it a thing of astonishing beauty. God knew what he was doing four decades ago when he wove into the fabric of our tapestry the golden threads of our love,courage,wisdom, compassion, and undying commitment to each other.

From the words of Sandra Day O’Conner: “We don’t accomplish anything in this life alone…whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one onto another that creates something.”   

It’s inevitable our life’s tapestry will face the dark threads of suffering. Yet, we can take solace that the light of our golden threads will never fail us. They will support us, strengthen us and simultaneously bring us great joy.