Losing a cherished girlfriend to cancer is never easy but thanks to a close group of her friends who invited me to gather with them each year on the anniversary of our friend Sue Dailey’s passing, it lessens the pain a bit and turns that difficult anniversary date into an evening of celebration and wonderful memory sharing!
Thanks to our event coordinator Seema, we meet at our friend’s favorite local restaurant and we laugh, cry and share all of the many reasons we felt so lucky to have had her in our lives. Seema with help from friend Sara, created beautiful friendship bracelets to give out at our dinner this year. She featured her bracelets on one of her recent posts from her fun blog Confessions of a Creative Junkie. Our group, pictured above, consists of friends who met Sue at different points in her life –from early to mid career to when she started having children later in life– we are all connected by our love for Sue.
In fact, our friend Sue was all about carving time out of our busy schedules to spend time with those we love and to always, always bring a camera to capture those special moments.
Our friend Sue had a vacation condo in Palm Desert and those who were close to her got to spend relaxing times there on occasion getting away from everyday stresses and family responsibilities to just hang around together and talk about everything! It was always relaxed and casual and the emphasis was on just being together…really together with no interruptions!
In the photo pictured below is our beloved friend Sue, pretty in pink, Deb and myself enjoying our last trip to her condo together. After a fun stop at the outlet stores, Sue shared with us one of her favorite restaurants in the area –it is a weekend Deb and I will never forget! Sue was the gold standard when it came to friendship and unconditional love! 
Annual events we plan with friends and family is a great way to make sure we have time automatically scheduled on the calendar so it doesn’t get gobbled up by other events that get in the way. We always tried to plan a Palm Desert getaway the first weekend in June the years we could swing it. Others like my extended family in the Bay Area, plan an annual camping trip to Lake Tahoe around the beginning of August and everyone adjusts their schedules around it.
Do you have an annual gathering or getaway you plan to stay connected to friends, family and other loved ones? If so, what is it and what is the best part of the event that you look forward to each year?
Beautiful and heart-felt post Cher! It honors Sue and the importance of nurturing friendships. It’s so true what you say about just getting it on the calendar. It anchors your intention and transforms ideas into action! I love the post and this blog–I’m a fan!!
I love having events with girlfriends to look forward to–always worth the effort to make it happen! Thanks for your sweet reply friend!
Hi Cher! This post brought tears to my eyes! I’m so very thankful the two of us got to meet, albeit after Sue’s passing, it’s been such a blessing to keep her giving and thoughtful spirit alive with you. The comfort I feel chatting with you is so very hard to replace with anything else in my life. Our Annual Dinner clearly defines the quintessential need for friend connections … in person! Thank you friend for your wonderful post! Sue is shining down on you so proud of your accomplishment!
Thanks Seema–I feel equally as blessed. Sue would just love the fact that we are good friends now and her spirit is so embodied in both of our new blogs. It has been a blast being on this journey with you friend!!
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