I'm going to the memorial service this afternoon for someone I've known since Kindergarten.

[no_hypocrisy]

Her name was Laurie. She literally lived one block away from our family. I knew her brother, sister, and mother.

She was in my kindergarten class but after that, we just didn't run in the same social circles. We graduated high school together.

Of course, being a small school and town, I kind of knew generally what was going on with her. She dated Joe since sixth grade (almost 50 years ago) and married him and their marriage thrived. They lived down South for a while but returned to live in her childhood home after her mother died, sharing the house with her older brother.

She died suddenly a week ago from a brain aneurysm. By this stage in my life, I've known of several classmates who have died too soon, one on 9/11. But I still have a feeling of being disconcerted every time it happens. Laurie is no exception. I wonder should I have tried harder to know her better.

Her loss is nonetheless personal. I feel like I've returned to our kindergarten class and one more little kid has left the circle proverbially. What also has struck me is the number of remarks in the "guest book" online from the girls in our class, all heartfelt. You have the feeling of the past where if you were a little girl who got hurt on the playground, a circle of girls would gather around you to see if you were all right, to comfort you. It's a similar feeling while reading their condolences.