Taking All Calls

On June 14, 2021 at exactly 11:53 in the morning, my friend, June, was calling me. I paused. Even though I considered her a family friend (our husbands were a lot closer than we were), she hardly ever called me. I answered her call, and I'm so glad I did because that would be the last phone conversation we would ever have...

One of the things I want to do more in 2022, is take the call.  June taught me that. 

As a teacher who talks all day long, all I want to do when I leave for the day is to not talk. But if I'm honest, I miss a lot of time connecting with friends and family when I decline calls. 

When June called me that morning, she was with her older daughter. They had driven down to Savannah for the day while her younger daughter was at soccer camp. She called to catch up and to talk. We stayed on the phone for one hour.  At the time, I noted it was a rare phone call, but I didn't realize the importance of the moment until now.

June was a healthy, vibrant woman with no health issues. She loved life and she loved her husband and two girls something fierce. She told the truth and always kept it real.  She was full of laughter, and she had dreams like everyone else. But she made her dreams come true. She often said she came from humble beginnings, yet she was a world traveler (she visited like 20 countries), and she always sought to experience new things, visiting all but 20 states.  

After experiencing sharp stomach pains, June got the news no one wants to hear. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2019.

I would see June two more times after that. Once in July when she had a birthday celebration at her home. And in June fashion, she gave away gifts to every guest even though it was her special day. That was just the type of person she was. 

The last time I saw June was on December 4th. I had a feeling this was goodbye. She had lost a significant amount of weight, and she hadn't been eating.  She gave a brave and valiant fight, but cancer took another one from us. She passed away just three days before Christmas.

If I ever doubted heaven existed, I don't anymore. I know June is in heaven, happy and laughing. I know she has no pain, and I believe she is in a better place. I know that when she arrived at Heaven's gates, God was there to welcome her home. 

I have a lot of great memories with June. She took care of Buddy Roller when he was a baby, and we weren't quite ready for daycare. In the photo above, that's June to my left. She organized a couples' weekend in the mountains when I was newly pregnant. She made sure Mark and I got the master suite. Again, just a testament to how thoughtful and kind she was.

I see her face when I wake up in the morning, and I think about her often. Her death has really affected me. I know death, like birth, is a natural part of life, but why is it so hard?

I'm dedicating this post to you, June. You were an angel on Earth. You taught me how important it is to take a call, and you remind me to go after my dreams and live life to the fullest because everyday above ground is a blessing.

Rest in peace, June Bug.