Goodbye Sally-Ann

An old school friend of mine passed away today!

I hadn't seen her for 14 years, but I knew if we saw each other at any time those years would just melt away, she was that kind of friend.

Unfortunately living on different islands and with families to raise it hasn't been easy to stay in touch.

So to today and she is no longer with us! A life gone in its prime - 43 years young. Coincidentally the same age that my sister Joan died. When Joan passed away it seemed she was an older woman with grown up children. Now that Sally-Ann has gone at the same age I understand exactly how much living we still have to do - 43 isn't old, it's just the beginning of knowing who we are.

This post isn't to look back with regrets but to celebrate a woman who grabbed life by the scruff of the neck and enjoyed it to the full. Sally was a free spirit in her time on earth and now her spirit is truly free from the restrictions our human body puts on us.

Some of my fondest memories of Sally include:

Sharing a flat with her fiancé Craig and spending many a night enjoying some rough red wine out of a box, or some other cheap alcoholic beverage in front of some nasty 80's TV.

Going away camping with her and Craig to Kai Iwi Lakes and spending evenings around the fire just talking and laughing.

Giving her a ride on the back of my motorbike to go and get her swimsuit so we could go swimming with Caroline - she was a rather nervous passenger.

Going to watch her dance at some theatre at Auckland University and her showing us her bloodied toes afterwards from her point shoes - that girl had composure!!

Attending a birthday party at her house where we had a mystery menu that included green macaroni.

Enjoying many a mexican meal at Pancho's restaurant in Auckland city along with many other friends - she nearly always ordered the Pollo!!

Going to the Queen concert with Sally & Caroline at Mt Smart Stadium in the back of her bright green Fiat Bambina - coincidentally it is the anniversary of Freddie Mercuries death tomorrow!! One of the best concerts I have ever been to.

Stopping in at her house when I was supposed to be working and spending an afternoon just chatting about what we really wanted to be doing with our lives - she never did sign up for Teacher's College with me!!

The last time I saw Sally was when we had come up to Auckland for the first time since I moved south. Our baby girls enjoyed having a bath together and then we had a lovely dinner with her and Javier. That will be 14 years ago this January!!

So to all my other old school friends, cherish our memories, we don't know when we'll see each other again, or if! This thing called the internet is a wonderful thing for getting some idea of what we're all up to, despite the miles that separate us.

Sally helped to make this world a little more cheerful and a little more enjoyable for all of us. She will not be forgotten by those whose lives she touched.

God Bless Sally-Ann. Be at peace!!

Love, your friend,

Alan