All The World's A Stage

I got an email from a friend of mine. I've known her over a decade. I normally get 2 emails from her a month. I usually respond so she knows it went through. I admire this friend very much. She is a good leader. Before she retired she taught drama in a middle school. She is sensitive to what other people need. She is highly organized. She is thorough. She is as smart as a whip and has an extraordinary vocabulary. She is funny. She is well read. She appears elderly and frail but once she starts talking all that fades away and she appears as young and sassy as a teenager. I remember one night last winter when I gave her a ride home. Her home has a steep driveway and the night was icy. I tried to get up her driveway and my car slid back down to the street while the wheels were spinning forward. I know with her walker she would never be able to walk up the hill. I tried again.  I slid back down. She didn't get upset or worked up. We were laughing about it. Finally on the fifth try I made it up to the top of the driveway and parked by the garage. I put on the parking brake hoping the car would stay put. I got her walker out of the trunk. I used the code to get into the garage. As I opened the door for her and lifted the walker up two steps into the kitchen the warmth of her cozy home hit me in the face and let me know she would be okay for the night. I was a little nervous about her living alone. This email sent to me made me gasp and cry. This email will be the last one I get from her because the email announced her death today. Her daughter sent the email using her mother's (my friend's) address. This friend of mine was so organized she probably gave her daughter her email and password so she could let everyone know. I am so sad. We can't even gather for a funeral because of this virus. My heart is heavy. My friend was a fan of Shakespeare.  At the end of every email she had the quote, "All the world's a stage . . ." My heart is heavy because she has exited her stage.