Gathering Moss

When we lived in Brazil,
one of my Aunts wrote a letter and posed a question...
She wrote, "Your life is like a rolling stone. It is said a rolling stone gathers no moss. I have a question for you and please ask your friends as well. Which is better, to have moss or to have no moss?"

I asked at bridge or socials as was an interesting topic. ...
"What do you think?" No one had an opinion. It was clear she meant support systems which included friendships.

Our American as well as International friends there lived the same lifestyle. All traveled extensively with jobs that took them and their families all over the world. We never thought of gathering moss. We were gathering awesome experiences shared by others of like mind-set. Those people were and are our moss.

I responded to her question saying none asked had an answer to her question. It was a new thought to all, I think.

My Beloved Aunt Doris came down with cancer the following year...and wrote to say that she finally had the answer...She wrote that in her time of need...the moss that she has collected by living in the same town for 60 years felt REALLY GOOD.

I thought about that. I had only been her moss through letters. We wrote weekly over the years. I still have her letters. They were important to me.
She was the most incredible woman I ever knew. She taught me how to live and in the end, she was a grand example to all as she left this life with such style.

When I think of "moss" as being a support system, she was my first layer.
June