Not Sponsored: Hey Everybody! I was so sad, leading up to my birthday. It was a sequence of events. I was going through my mail, when I came across my high school newsletter. I always enjoy reading it and keeping up with what everyone is doing. It's a joy to read about weddings, births and accomplishments. But, there's also a section for death. Up until this time, people have lost their grandparents and occasionally a sibling or parent. But this time was different. I lost a classmate. Her name was Angele Marie Veillon Chaplain. Angele's name was befitting, because she truly was an angel. She was always the same. She was kind. She was sincere. She was encouraging. She was many things. She was motherly. She spoke to me all the time. She provided me with a lot of positivity and encouragement during my high school years. Angele was active in a lot of things at Ursuline, including cheerleading. She wasn't stuck up, snotty or anything. She was easy to talk to and cared about everyone. When I first joined Facebook, she immediately contacted me. We caught up with everything going on in our lives. She was a mom and wife. She loved her family. I confided in her about my professional accomplishments, but failed relationships and that I didn't have any children. She told me, Kim you're going to meet someone. She said, you will. She said, its going to be later in life ... but someone will come into your life. I never forgot her words. They stood out. She said it with such confidence. She had more confidence in me than I did. Several years passed and I got off of Facebook. I felt I wasn't learning anything and just needed to explore new things. That's when I started a blog. I had a Facebook page for my blog, but didn't use my personal page. I would add my current blog post to my page and then log off. Well unbeknownst to me, Angele had cancer. She went through chemo. She seemed to have gotten better. But something must have reoccurred in 2020 and she passed. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I pulled out my yearbooks, maybe thinking there was an error. But it was the Angele, I knew and loved. I kept asking WHY? WHY HER? She had children. She had a husband. She loved her family. She was nice, kind etc. WHY? My heart still hurts. She really touched my life. So this is my tribute to her. I think with Angele's death, coupled with other things my faith was shaken. I ended up removing my birthday date from Facebook, Twitter etc. I didn't want any birthday messages or wishes. At this point, I just wanted a quiet birthday. But the funniest thing happened! People remembered my birthday! Emmy, Desle, Sonia, Jo and others remembered my birthday. Despite removing the date, they remembered. Upon seeing the messages, I just smiled. Heartfelt messages. My heart skipped a beat. Good people. There are good people out there. My mom cooked me an amazing meal. I had a 6" almond and buttercream icing layer cake. My birthday turned out wonderful. I had a really awesome day. I talk about my birthday every year. Its fun looking back at each. Each is different. With covid and such going on, birthdays have a different meaning. Enjoy them. Enjoy each day. Stay connected with those you love. Reconnect with those you're thinking about. Because each year, will be a different year. Nothing is promised.
GOD BLESS YOU ANGELE
