It’s weird when you learn that someone you knew well passed away without your knowing … two years ago today to be exact.
Cleaning up this afternoon (to make Chantal proud) I came across my former acupuncturist’s letter from July 2011, when she told us she had her “own serious health crisis” but was sure that she “would be OK again after treatment and complete rest”, referring Antony and me onto two other practitioners in the meantime.
Many times since I have driven by Julie’s shop in Burke Road, Camberwell, looking for signs her practice had re-opened, and wondering if she did indeed recover.
So today, for some unknown reason, I decided to send a quick note off to the abyss, knowing if the worst had happened it would come back. Moments later it did – and I knew.
As a scientific kinda girl I need know more in order to achieve closure of some kind … an internet search sadly revealed all. I discovered this wonderful, giving and loving woman, who nurtured my body and soul and who never gave it to me ‘sugar-coated’, passed away on 18 February 2012, less than 7 months after her letter.
The day she passed was the day we celebrated English Gent‘s 50th birthday with Grace, and the following day we lunched with my parents Ros and Paul, and their friends, Evelyn & Dennis, parents of Paul McGuire. Sadly, Evelyn has since too passed.
Time has marched on, so they say, and none so more apparent than looking at a hand written letter of someone no longer here. I could write all sorts of stuff about seizing the day but that’s just not where my head or heart is right now. For me it’s about truly understanding the power of a heartfelt connection.
This feeling has only happened to me once before, when another friend, Simon, whom I knew was ill passed away quietly from a very painful form of cancer around 1990. In the weeks before he died he made a conscious act of mentally connecting with each and every person he could remember ever having met. I remember vividly the day he reconnected with me ….
And so too, even though Julie’s not here, her words of wisdom (some of which involved gaffa tape) are still ringing in my ears, louder than they ever have before, once again guiding me in the right direction. She had far more impact on my life than I gave her credit for, and so this post is my public acknowledgment, my tribute of thanks for her contribution to me.
Her shop still stands there, just as she left it more than 2 years ago, as a shrine to this great woman who touched my heart and my soul and helped me on my journey to a healthier place. Thank you Julie, I know you’re still watching and I have the gaffa tape at the ready