In Memory of Gusty

So my boss called me last night at 9:30. He doesn't usually do that, so a couple things went through my mind before I answered. Either something was wrong or he really needed to tell me something before we got in to work today. Turned out it was a little of both. I sat there in shock as he informed me that our coworker, Gusty Colonna, had passed away earlier that day. She died in her sleep, of natural causes.

Gusty was my "other half" in the work sense. She was the Sales Admin and I'm the Marketing Admin. Our cubicles were right next to each other, so for the last year I have gotten to know her pretty well. She was an amazingly friendly person and made friends everywhere she went. People loved her. She was sensitive to other's feelings, a good mom, and was happy to do whatever she was asked. And she was only 35.

This is the first time I've been faced with the death of someone I know really well. I have had a couple of grandparents die, but they were both sick and it was...expected to happen I guess. This was not expected. It has put a lot of things into perspective for me. Life is such a precious, fragile thing and death can be so sudden and unexpected. We should never take for granted that which has been given to us. We should live for every moment, every day, every year that we are blessed to be alive.

How grateful I am for the knowledge I have that this life is not the end. With the sadness comes a kind of happiness that those who have left aren't gone forever. Gusty was a single mom with a lot of pain, struggles, and stress in her life. I'm happy that she is free from that now. My heart goes out to Gusty's family, especially her two girls. I pray that they will learn to deal with and understand what has happened.

It's a somber day in the office today.