Happiness/Wetness/Sadness

HAPPINESS:

is spending some time with a new friend.  She is 89 years old ex-marine named Betty.  Her late husband Joe (whom I never knew) was also a marine in WWII and in the Korean conflict.

Betty is legally blind. She is a hot ticket.  I enjoy every moment in her presence. She was at my home last week (with other friends) for cocktails and nibbles. She regaled us with wonderful stories of her life with Joe and with their four children.

The four often wondered (with gratitude and pleasure) how the heck their ex-Marine Mom and Dad turned out to be such political liberals!

WETNESS:

When Betty was at my home I asked her if she liked chocolate. Her eyes lit up and she affirmed that she truly enjoyed dark chocolate.

I promised to get her some super dark German chocolate from Trader Joe’s.

This I did today. That being done I ‘phoned at about 7:15 p.m. to ask if I might deliver it to her.

She affirmed that the time was convenient, and then asked if I had a spare bottle of tonic water which she thought she might need on Weds. 26th June.

Indeed I had, and I was glad to walk out with Penne to deliver the chocolate and tonic water

The heavens opened as Penne and I walked home.  We were soaked to the skin.  But it was worth it for our dear friend Betty,

SADNESS:

One of my other good friends is Betsy (Elizabeth) Pusey from Pittsfield MA.  She the atheist and I the Christian created a good relationship.

Our friendship took root as I ministered to her father, the Revd. Cort Pusey (a retired Priest on the staff at St. Stephen’s Pittsfield)   and then in the waning days of her mother Betty Pusey - who shared a May 7th birthday with my Mum.

Betsy visited me a couple of times when I ministered in Cambridge, MA, and on at least three occasions since my retirement to SRQ.

Her longtime friend Susan (from Baltimore) ‘phoned me today to let me know that Betsy died yesterday ((June 24th), after three weeks of rapidly failing health arising from C.O.P.D.



God bless my atheist friend Betsy. Her friendship was for me more important than her atheism.
Location: Pittsfield, MA, USA

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