There's something about this time of year...

that always seems to increase the bad news.

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave

Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;

Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.

I know.  But I do not approve.  And I am not resigned.

 

Stanza from 

Dirge Without Music

BY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

I've been fortunate to have belonged to the OU community for quite a long time. Over the years I have become friends with fellow OU students. At first we 'met' and chatted via the messaging service 'FirstClass'. From time to time, some were able to meet face to face, but that was but the icing on the gingerbread as the saying goes.

The OU finally decided to get rid of FirstClass, and reluctantly we tried to get used to Muddle as we named the replacement. Along came Facebook, and eventually we found our way their and communication was restored. Over the years we have laughed and cried, shared stories of hope, success and loss. We have celebrated and congratulated as folk earned their qualifications. 

Today, someone mentioned they had experienced a loss. Although the person doing the posting is not part of my friendship group, we have friends in common. Something else I read made me apprehensive, so I checked which people we both knew. That's when the blow struck. One person had gone into hospital last month, weeks had passed without much news. I looked up his page and found a post from his daughter. The dear man had died in hospital yesterday. This is no place for details. Suffice it to say a loving, kind, generous soul has departed this life.

R.I.P.