In Memoriam.

Today, at first light, I had word of the passing of a dear family friend.  She was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the middle of January, opted not to have the aggressive treatment, deteriorated very quickly, and today was the end.  
As is so often the emigrant's experience, one is cut off by great distances and the passage of time from those who peopled one's life back in the Old Country.  This photograph, scanned today from my archives, and put through PhotoShop and Topaz AI, illustrates the disconnect well.  It was taken in September 1998, the last time but one when my friend, her then husband, and I were all together in their beautiful Victorian home in Cape Town.  Our communication in the last few years has been an intense dialog on WhatsApp, and the occasional voice call.  
Requiem Aeternum, amica carissima.