Letter from a Friend

On my birthday, I received a letter from a friend who lives in in the Pacific Northwest. We had known each other, visited and shared deep thoughts for three short years in our early twenties in Southwestern Arizona, and our connection was stronger than usual for such a short acquaintance. Over the years, we wrote sporadically, and I saw her once in the mid-seventies. Then, as both of us lived our lives, discarded names and got new ones, we lost touch. I tried to locate her to no avail. She stayed on my mind during those years, and just when I believed I was losing my mental acuity from advancing age, I pulled up from the depths of my memory the name of her sister and her sister's husband. Remembering the name was a wonder, as I had never met the sister and had minimal conversations about her with my friend. A quick search of the Internet produced a seeming telephone match, and though I doubted its authenticity because of the location, I took a chance and called. Unbelievably, I had located the right person. My friend's sister! She mentioned that she had just gotten married after a widowhood of 16 years and was in the process of moving, and her phone was due to be disconnected the next day. She had never bothered to change the directory listing. She promised to give my friend my telephone number and email address, and within days, I got a call. I still marvel at the timing and luck involved in locating her. We have since visited and continue to keep in touch in the same sporadic manner as before, but both of us are thankful for our reconnection.
My friend told me in her letter that her sister had died a few months earlier. I felt sad—and thankful--that her sister had played such an integral part in my finding my long lost friend.