We went

to Gail's Memorial Service today. I saw quite a few people that I knew from school, but some I expected weren't there. There were only two of us from Gail's class, and both of us had been to Earl's the time she came back from Toronto for the first time since she left after school - Ms. Riley and myself. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. There are old boyfriends whose relationships ended and so the connection was broken. But there were lots of friends who were friends of Dave, who was only slightly older than Gail and were her friends too, as a result.

It was difficult. They had a slideshow presentation along with the Memorial Service, but they cut it short, and I'm glad they did. I was choking up a lot during it, and I fear I wouldn't have been able to stay through the whole thing. Perhaps it's because time is frozen for me and our relationship is frozen in time, back to the time when we really leaned on each other for support. The world has moved on since then, but I haven't, and now that Gail is gone, everything is stuck there. Even though both our lives went on I'm stuck in the 60s, in the way things were.

God bless you and keep you, Gail Frances Beckett. I know that God loves you, and I pray that you're resting in His presence and peace after your painful struggle. God love you.

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