Proust's madeleine ain't got nothing on me . . .

I found out this evening that the mother of my closest friend from childhood (until about 6th grade) passed away very suddenly from a stroke.

Even though it has been many years since we've seen each other or even spoken . . . I have several years of memories inextricably linked to her and her family. For various and sundry reasons, ALL of these things have the ability to bring me immediately back to that time - that lifetime - so many years ago:
David Bowie, Labyrinth, Ouija boards, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Lip-syncing, pet pigs, parakeets and cockatils, Afghans, wicker rattan floor mats, red clay kitchen tiles, false eyelashes, castanets, flamenco dancing, guitar music, tying fly fish flies, hammocks, sprinklers, weeping willows, Barbie dolls, seances, the B-52's, "One Night in Bankok", Girl Scouts and Scout camp, 5th grade talent show, backyard chicken coops, sleepovers, jumping on the bed, cats sleeping on my head, hanukkah gifts, lighting a menorah and turning on the Christmas tree together, long braids, picking apples, supernatural stories, fortune-telling, a small scar on my ankle, Bethesda, overdoses, gothic art, Caddyshack, Mel Brooks, R-ratings, The Temp, Sea Monkeys, Shaving my legs for the first time, jumping into leaf piles, record players, Beetlejuice, roller skating in the basement, playing dress-up . . . and on and on.

My heart goes out to C, her siblings and her father. I wish I could be there to mourn with you this Friday - but I will send my prayers and love from here.