Why Shar chose me to be her closet friend in high school is still a mystery, but whatever the reason, I feel so fortunate that our life's paths crossed. Shar possessed an indomitable and innately happy spirit.
In spite of our many teenage traumas, she seemed to live life on a higher plane and was always happy and upbeat. My life has been enriched because I knew her.
Many posts have mentioned Shar's hair. It was bright orange, but it had the texture and luminosity of corn silk, . . . . . .and her personality definitely matched her hair - bright, soft, and luminous. Whenever I see a woman with red hair I think of Shar, but I mhave never seen anyone with that same color.
One experience we shared in our college years, which produced many fond memories, was the summer we spent together working in Lake Tahoe, but I'll never forget throwing peas at eachother as we worked the night shift on the conveyor belt at Birdseye after high school graduation. One summer my dad took our trailer up to a mountain resort for Shar and I to spend the week together playing in the water and the sun, but it rained the whole entire week! To relieve the boredom, we played cards until the edges were tattered. Whatever our circumstance, being with Shar made everything fun. She laughed her way over any difficulty. What was an impassable crevice to me, was but a mere crack to her. That "big picture" perspective was one of the many reason she was so such a delight to be with.
Because of scheduling conflicts, I was never able to attend the high school reunions, but Shar always called with "the report" and kept me informed about the chatter from the lunch and bridge games too. Unfortunately, E-mail replaced phone calls and I have missed hearing her happy, sunny voice.
Shar brought a little bit of heaven with her when she came to earth and has now returned to the source of the light of her wonderful spirit. I know that she is happy where she is now, and heaven is undoubtably brighter because she is there. I miss her, but look forward to seeing her again in her native habitat.