End of the Day

It's been a bit of a traumatic day. I woke at 4.00 am and, as is my habit under those circumstances, checked email. There in my inbox was word that a good internet buddy of mine had died on Sunday. I got to know Nancy through one of the Mac mailing lists I subscribe to. She was looking for help, we weren't making much progress through a long-drawn-out exchange of emails, and I suggested we resolve her problem off-list. Thus began a five-year long-distance trouble-shooting relationship which culminated in my spending time with her last year during my holiday in Canada. She lived in Sechelt, a small town on the Sunshine Coast in BC, not far from Vancouver. When we first made contact I never thought we'd actually meet in person, but what began as my giving her regular advice and help with her Mac gradually developed into something very akin to friendship.

She had a lung operation back in April to remove a (benign) cancer 'hot spot', but complications developed afterwards, which culminated in a mild stroke. She'd arranged with a guy who used run an Apple Store in Sechelt to pass on progress reports to people on her contacts list, and the last I'd heard up until today's sad news was in mid June, when she was coming to terms with her new situation and preparing for admission to a stroke rehab facility.

I've been thinking of her a lot during the day, and I'm surprised at how deeply the news of her death has affected me. I've no idea why Nancy tears welled up in my eyes again when I did some supermarket shopping this evening and spotted these restaurant chairs stacked on their tables during floor cleaning, but the sight touched a chord for some reason. I'm really going to miss you, Nancy.