いつまで

Ever since Zsa's passed away more than a week ago, I've asked her to come visit me in my dreams. Each night before I go to sleep, I remind her. But she hasn't come yet.

Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night with the word いつまで (itsu made) on my mind.  It means "forever".  Zsa's and I were Best Friends "Forever", but I doubted that it was a message from her . . . she didn't even speak Japanese. But . . . half asleep . . . in the middle of the night . . . I told myself to remember.

This afternoon when Wendell retrieved the mail he said, "You got something from Zsa's family." The envelope looked like it might contain a card. I wondered what it could be.

Turned out it wasn't from Zsa's family. It was from Zsa's herself. It was a long-lost thank-you card thanking me for the birthday present that I had given her back in February. 

The card described our relationship perfectly. It said how we both knew that are friendship couldn't be measured by how many emails we exchanged, or phone calls we made, or amount of times we saw each other during the year, but more on the close, comfortable connection that we've shared through the years. 

It was the most perfect card . . . arriving at the most perfect time . . . and signed in the most perfect way . . .