The Cup Never Runs Out

The thing about love is, once you have it, it's always there. Even if the person you love isn't. Once your cup is full, it will never empty.

There is a saying from Warren Zevon, "enjoy every sandwich." For me, I think the perfect saying is "savor every cup." That's what Mary and I always did. I can't even remember the first time I met her. It just seemed that we were always friends. There was no space before or after. We were like two peas in a pod. We'd have tea together several times a week. When I moved away it was less often, but she'd call me at work and I'd go visit sometimes on my way home.

She was such a firecracker. I really loved Mary. She was my dear friend.

She died yesterday in her sleep.

I don't really know what to say. I called her Monday night from Paris and no one picked up the phone. I wish now, more than ever, I would've been able to talk to her, to say goodbye. I sent her a postcard when I first arrived in London and she was so excited she called my mom to read it to her. She was so proud of me and always told me to go after my dreams. She believed in me. I believed in her. I learned a lot from my friend. I learned to always be feisty, to alwyas be positive and to keep fighting, no matter how rough life gets. Mary believed life was worth a good fight. Her last few years were rough. She had two strokes and couldn't play the piano. Then, she fell and broke her pelvis and later her hip. Her arms didn't work and neither did her feet, yet she managed to pull herself around the apartment in a wheelchair with just one foot. All her teeth were missing, but she always smiled. Her head tilted to one side and she looked like a sheepish little girl. She was darling. Her heart was pure. She was honest and simple. She didn't need much. She had tons of love to go around.

Today I am honoring my friend with a cup of tea. It will never quite be the same without her sitting across the table from me, laughing. But I know that she's with me right now, savoring every cup right alongside me.