Day 3 - 260 -- A Community Loss

It was a lovely sunny day with clear blue skies, little wind, and pleasant end of summer temperatures. The work day was another one filled with classes and many meetings. It was a productive day, though. Early in the morning, there was some shocking news. I'd called for an appointment with a friend to find that the office would be closed for a funeral of a well-known health professional from town. I had seen this person over the years when my regular practitioner was on vacation. We had many great conversations in the office and on the streets. She was younger than me and left behind four sons who are entering adulthood. The services were today and I headed over to the cathedral at the edge of campus once my last student meeting was completed. I arrived 15 minutes after the start of services. No seats remained so I stood at the back.

Saying no seats were empty won't mean much for those who have not seen the inside of the cathedral that holds 700 people with a bit of room to spare. This woman grew up in town and was a health practitioner in town for her entire career. She knew almost everyone in one capacity or anther. Some people found her a bit curt or gruff, but she cared deeply about people and would often relaxto chat  after the business of the visit was over. Some days, it was clear she was in a dark place, but I saw more days where her smile would seep out through the sparkle in her eyes and she'd laugh. She dealt with the fallout of a major physical attack, and as the priest noted, she was never the same person after that. He spoke of the 'wounded healer' noting how she cared for others and seemed to find the strength to do so from her pain. She will be missed within our community.

She loved to run and hiked into the local mountains and the Rockies, so this song seemed to fit the situation well.  May she find peace to replace the pain. Enjoy!

Go Rest High on the Mountain -- Vince Gill ft. Ricky Skaggs