I was just under 100 days from retiring the last time I posted. I had emphasized that I decided to retire at 61 due to the passing of many friends who had waited to retire. Well, on November 1, 2023, I was shocked to learn that another very dear coworker, Rebecca “Becky” Schindler (Robertson), had passed away at 50.
I first met Becky in 1996 when she was still in college. We hired her as an intern, and I worked with her for a significant amount of time that summer. She was a talented individual. We had an opening when she graduated from college and brought Becky on full-time. Becky had a dedication to her family that was easy to envy. She was a dedicated employee, staying with the same employer for her entire career. She impacted me and many others in positive ways!
Becky and I became close friends and good coworkers. I watched her grow, get married, have two wonderful children, and last year attended her first child’s high school graduation! Now, her second child will not be able to experience her graduation with her mother. It’s a very, very sad situation! I am trying hard to find the positive in this cruel world, but it’s getting harder and harder.
Becky was very, very religious and a strong conservative. Now, Becky and I were on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Yet we could have conversations that I knew made her blood boil, and vice versa. But she was a special friend, even though we disagreed on many political matters. We respected each other. We cared for each other! I will miss her! Only a few people have that quality of mutual respect in conversations anymore. When on opposite sides of politics, there is so much hate! Sad.
You never know when our time on earth will end. So live each day like it is your last, yet plan for tomorrow, the following year, the next decade, etc., just in case!
