Paula's Visit

I spent the early part of the morning walking Sheba, tidying up some more and doing some shopping before leaving for Silva Bay to fetch Paula. 

Paula’s here for two days. On the day she leaves, Dwight arrives for a day and two weeks after that, Jessica and Todd come for a weekend. I am aware highly aware of what a privilege I enjoy in my friendships with people who’ll undertake to travel here to visit.

She was super excited to get here. She can’t get to her cottage in Point Roberts (USA) because the border is closed, so being here where there’s a hammock, the hot tub, lounge chairs and me to serve her, was easy for her to enjoy. Plus, she loves animals, so she was super happy to see my pets.

Paula was one of my first guests here. Her delight in the changes I’ve made through all my landscaping was very satisfying to see and hear. 

I made her a lunch and took her to Drumbeg Park to eat it. I took two of my collapsible chairs, so we were comfortable on the bank overlooking the straight between Valdez and Gabriola Islands We sat there hours in the sunshine and then the shade chatting away, looking at the passing boats and watching the Sea Lions flapping their fins and tails on the water in some kind of display.

When we got home, we chilled for a while and then I made us dinner and afterwards we watched some TV before going to bed.

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Out of the blue, I got an email from someone very dear to me—a nephew of a very good friend. It was cryptic and sweet: no salutation, just, “I love you!” 

It took a couple of days and the insight was sudden; I became very concerned about his mental health. So, I wrote and got another curt response that was reassuring but acknowledged an emotional crisis.

Not long ago, a friend took his own life and it hurt—doubly so, because he was the third friend to go in that way. Now, I am on suicide watch with my friend who lives far away and who is not answering the phone. I put every skill I have into writing to him and I am writing every couple of days.