Unforgettable Maddie

Yesterday my friend, Maddie, shed her mortal coil and took off on a new adventure. She was ready for the journey, and had been for some time - it took the rest of us a little longer to catch up to her - but we supported her decision and helped her prepare for her trip as best we could. We all took turns visiting, sharing laughter and tears, learning new lessons and teaching each other how to live... and how to die... well.

She was like an older sister to me (I never had a sister, so I had to choose mine from among my best friends) and, like siblings, we didn't always see eye to eye; but, like siblings, we always managed to get back on track and our friendship became stronger and more flexible during the ten years we knew each other. Maddie could be funny or feisty, demanding or forgiving, but she was never mean-spirited. She always wanted to share her knowledge and ideas with anyone who was willing to take time and listen.

Maddie was a Pisces - these earrings make me think of her

And, over the years, I did learn a lot from her - about jewelry-making, about different stones and crystals, about herbs and organic food and shamanism - but (mostly) I learned some profound lessons about life... and (eventually) death. There weren't too many topics she couldn't converse about, and she shared experiences that not many of us could lay claim to. Maddie was a shrewd and savvy businesswoman - a little old-school, to be sure, but always willing to learn new tricks - and she never hesitated to give her advice to the downhearted and the downtrodden souls who wandered into her store.

Maddie always kept her bird feeders full

She loved to cook and garden, and nothing gave her more pleasure than sitting outside, soaking up the sun's rays, inviting a dragonfly to sit on her shoulder or listening to birdsong. She would spend hours pruning the bushes in her yard with a small pair of pruning scissors - her mother's, I believe - and adored all animals, especially cats, birds and horses. Although Maddie had no companion in her later years, she was a hopeless romantic at heart. After a couple of failed marriages and no children, her friends became her family.

When the warm air starts to rise, ride the breeze on butterflies

And now her vibrant energy has ventured out into the Universe, a journey she was actually looking forward to. I can't quite believe she's gone, but I know I will never forget her. Go on, then, Maddie... I predict you will transmute into a clever, feisty dragonfly and will find many a friendly shoulder to rest your beautiful wings upon.

"Time is for dragonflies and angels. The former live too little and the latter live too long."

— James Thurber