In memory of my friend and neighbor, Leslie, whom I first told you about here. She passed away on Saturday evening. It was sudden and unexpected, despite her illness. She had a chemo treatment on Thursday afternoon and became ill. By Friday evening there were concerns that she was besoming dehydrated and she went to the hospital for IV fluids. She was to be kept over night and sent home on Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, it became apparent that it was more than dehydration and that she had a virus which her body was just unable to fight. By 8:00 on Saturday evening, she was gone.Leslie was a wonderful lady - in every sense of the word. She raised three great boys. Two graduated from college last year and her third is in his second year at Purdue. She taught them things like "Drive VERY slowly down our street - Kathryn could be playing out in the street at any time". She made me laugh at all the things I worried about and taught me that I worried way too much about parenting - especially about parenting one daughter. She asked for nothing when she first got ill - no food, no company, nothing. How ironic then, when one of our elderly neighbors was sick that it would be Leslie who would be the one to organize the rotating dinners. She wanted no sympathy, no pity or sadness. She asked to be treated like a "well" person. She acted like a "well" person. We forgot she was sick. Last Sunday we were out playing with the new puppy and she was laughing and playing with him too. She laughed at me because I thought her wig was her real hair. Wednesday she was walking her dogs.
I think she spent this summer exactly as she wanted to. With her husband Joe, her boys, Paul, Curt and Todd, and Raleigh and Owen - her dogs. And now, it's her Endless Summer. Godspeed Leslie. I am missing you so much.......
