My dear friend Liz Usher passed away March 27 2023.
I forgot about this blog but I think I will write down some memories of our friendship before they pass into a distant memory.
The phrase about pork scratchings entitling this blog
Pork scratchings are impermanent, unsatisfactory and cause suffering!
...is one that I wrote after talking to Liz about them. I used to LOVE pork scratchings, I think we talked about them because Liz's dogs loved them but we both thought they were rather unhealthy and that perhaps I should give them up. Hence the reminder that they caused suffering 🤣
I met Liz in an online meditation class - the 7 day meditation kickstart on Facebook, which was the best way to start meditating. It was run by Nick Grabovac. It led to 5 years of serious meditation. We moved on to 30 days of meditating, then 365 days...and it continued!
I think I must have connected with Liz because we had the same name but we soon struck up a friendship which although waned at the end, was always warm and caring.
When we were in the flow of meditating we would chat every day online. And then one day we cemented our virtual friendship when I went to meet Liz whilst I was visiting Sheffield.
I marvelled at how tiny the houseboat Liz and Paul lived in. Eventually they moved back into a bricks and mortar home, and the last conversation I had with Liz in October 22 was about how much she had settled in.
And then I saw the devastating news on Facebook that Liz had died after some medical issues. Remember your friends and cherish them!
Liz and I spent many hours talking about the intricacies of our daily meditations, our failings to meditate daily. We had a Facebook group which we posted to and Andrea used to post there tirelessly and she left us first a few years ago.
I also arranged for a group of us to go to Anderton to meet up with Liz, I need to dig out those photos. They were very dark for some reason. 🤔
We spoke about our families often, she asked about my mother, everyone asks about my mother, I must talk about her more than I realise.
George and Cap used to entertain us and I've got a great picture of them leaning on my purple jeans. We took them for a walk one time and Cap ran off to chase squirrels. Liz was mortified.
I once told Liz that I used to pour salt on slugs and she made me promise not to kill them again. To this day, I don't think I've killed one again - intentionally - I accidentally trod on one, does that count Liz 🤣
You always think that certain people would be there forever, to pick up our conversation again and then all of a sudden Liz wasn't there anymore. Like my friend Peter who died 6 years ago, I think about Liz more than than before. I think of my Aunt who's left us, but thankful I spoke to her nearly every day in the last days of her life.
I don't sit and meditate much anymore but it's always in the back of my mind. I'll get back to it one day. But till then I will always remember my meditation friends and Liz Usher who made it so much more special.
Miss you my friend, I will remember you. ❤️
