Just about every New Year's eve, I find myself thinking about people who had impact on my life at some point and if I have been in touch with them enough. Some of them are now deceased and the answer is I did what I could but it fell short. Teachers come to mind most often - people who touched the lives of thousands like me over their career, making contributions that were transformative or incremental. Either way, without that impetus, the person would not be who they are today. This year, I reached out to a perfect stranger whose email was listed on a web-site that maintained a database of seniors in Ms. P's community.
Finding this organization was extremely random and driven by the whims of Google SEO and the set of search terms I chose. Ms. P has had disproportionate influence on my life and there is not a year that goes by when I don't think of her and feel grateful for everything she did for me. She was never on social media and the last time I was in touch with her, she had no email or cell-phone. I had heard from a common acquaintance that she was unwell for a period of time and nothing more was heard since that time. She would be in her mid 80's if she is still alive. It would be a dream come true if I can communicate with her even if just once more.
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