fading away

Not the sun...although it was when I flew from NYC to Austin this evening (via Baltimore).
Not summer...although with my return from NYC (vacation! plus some work, too) and the fact that it is now August, I do feel like summer is fading away. The 100+ degrees that greeted me in Austin at 11:00 p.m. this evening did not suggest that summer is fading away though.
But what I do feel like is fading away is my sweet Gran's circle of friends. She has lost two this past week. That seems cruel. One has hit a little too close to home for me. Sweet Jane who is the grandmother of Katy (I can't write "was" yet) passed away this morning. Gran and Jane have been friends for 50+ years. My mom and one of Jane's daughters (Allison) were in high school together. And then Katy (Allison's oldest daughter) and I were in college together. So we're three generations of friends. And there's something rare and rich and wonderful about that. I used to learn things about Katy from Gran and Katy would find out things about me from Jane when we were growing up. Whenever we were in New Orleans visiting our grandmothers at the same time we would play with one another. And although Katy grew up in Houston and I was in CA, we had this funny little bond. So it was quite funny that we both chose to go to UVA...and I think the grandmothers took great joy in seeing us develop our friendship there. Jane fell ill quite suddenly and this morning, quite literally, breathed her last. Katy is heartbroken. I'm heartbroken in a different way. Gran cried sweet tears of friendship on the phone with me today - which always rips my heart apart. And then (in the middle of the LaGuardia airport - awesome), I cried my own tears. For Katy. For Gran. For Jane's daughters and the rest of her family. For Gran's generation that seems to be fading away. They've lived amazing, and amazingly long (these women are all in their 90s!), lives. They've passed along wonderful stories and gifts and most of all LOVE to us. And I know we are blessed to have had them for so long. But I will still miss them. (And I did tell Gran that she needn't go getting any ideas about joining her friends any time soon!) Sweet dreams and sweet rest, Jane (and Ann B.)...your spirit lives on.