I was told this morning that a dear friend who is on life support will have her machines switched off tomorrow. The moral implications of this action I will leave to those who are wiser than I. It is a beautiful life I wish to speak of now.

To say Pam was a wonderful woman is an understatement. She was a loving and caring daughter to her widowed mother. She served her country with honor while in the military. She was a faithful employee at the factory where she worked for more than 20 years. She was a loving partner to my step-daughter and parent to my grandson. But, to sum up her life in four sentences leaves so much unsaid.

It doesn’t bring out the sparkle in her eyes when she was teasing. Nor does it mention the contagiousness of her laugh. Her dry wit is overlooked in those four sentences. Also unsaid is the way her long white hair shone and moved in the sunlight. Her love of a good mystery. Her passion for sports. Her plethora of friends. Her appetite for Chinese restraunts. Her enjoyment of and talent for the game of blackjack that she only indulged once or twice a year.

The war she fought for the past two years against the disease that ultimately took her life was a brave one. She entered the war knowing the odds were that she would lose. Yet she fought anyway. Her enemy was a sly one. Attacking her where her defenses were weakest; whittling her down ounce after ounce until her reserves were gone and she had no strength left with which to fight.

So now the end is coming. She will be missed.

My heart goes out to those who loved her best. Her partner, Bettye and stepson Sean. Her Mother, brother and sister. All her friends in whose group I count myself.

God bless you, Pam may He hold your hand through this most difficult of times and may you find peace on the other side.

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Bobbye Johnson Gay/Lesbian Relationships editor for BellaOnline.