A Fond Farewell

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“Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” – Mark Twain

I’ve become entranced with a word lately: inkling.

Inkling according to Merriam-Webster is a slight knowledge or vague notion. It comes from Middle English yngkiling meaning “whisper or mention.”

When I think of the inklings I’ve gotten, they relate to the niggling feeling that something is off. I’ve had inklings about big events like when my business partner told me of my ex-husband’s infidelities and right before I was laid off. Kinda like a surprise party when everyone stops talking to you in advance.

And I get inklings about little things like when one of my kids is about to catch a cold. Something isn’t quite right about how they react or eat food and it sets off the radar.

For me, inklings are closely related to the internal God whispers, those insistent notions that seem Divinely inspired. On a recent morning when I meditated, I had the urgent sense that I needed to reach out to our dear blogging friend, Julia Preston.

Later that day, I discovered that she’d passed away the night before at the age of 85. She hadn’t blogged much after her cancer diagnosis but she’s been present in emails and comments in the last few months.

After I published one of my favorite posts about the words I become entranced with, My Love Affair with Words, Julia jokingly asked what word I associated with her. I had no hesitation before responding “luminescent.” Julia glowed with love and light for all. She faced her diagnosis with that same delightful curiosity about what comes next.

Her last blog post hinted about the light and love we all can (and should) tap into. Julia left us with the question in When We Gonna: “When are we gonna turn the world around with the power of our thoughts? When are we gonna create light instead of dark and love instead of fear?“

Julia was laid to rest yesterday. For anyone who has an inkling to do something in her honor, her favorite causes were St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and the ASPCA.

RIP, dear Julia. Your light and love remains!

For more about Julia’s profound impact, please see Vicki Atkinson‘s beautiful reminiscence in Collective Gratitude: The Feast Before the Feast

And Julia’s most recent book is available on Amazon: Voices: Who’s In Charge of the Committee in My Head?

(featured photo from Pexels)

60 thoughts on “A Fond Farewell”

  2. It is funny how we get inklings about folks who are far flung, but part of our lives. I’ve had similar wonderings about bloggers whom I have followed and then suddenly, they are gone. Maybe they stopped because they lost interest, or as in the case of your friend Julia life has taken a turn. It’s a turn we will all take, but it sounds as though she faced it with dignity and love. What we think about influences our hopes and our fears. We have only so much capacity to influence the world, but it starts with our circle and how wide (and far) we cast our light. Im am so sorry to hear about Julia’s passing, she must have cast her light well. Peace.

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    1. Wow, Clay, what an insightful comment. I love, “it starts with our circle and how wide (and far) we cast our light.” Such a good way to put it. And thanks for your condolences about Julia. She did cast her light well!

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  4. Oh, I’m so sorry to hear of Julie’s passing. I just read her latest post and it’s lovely and inspiring, all rolled up in one.

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  7. I remember some of the lovely comments from Julia when I was with HOTM. Just a genuinely kind lady. Thank you for highlighting her gracious spirit here Wynne.

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  15. Oh my Wynne, what a beautiful and heartwarming tribute to a beautiful soul. 🤗 What a perfect word to match a soul full of light. 🌞 Thank you for sharing this special moment of enlightenment my friend. 💖

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  16. Very beautiful post and tribute, Wynne. I’m very sorry for your loss and to all those who were positively impacted by Julia’s presence and words. May she rest in peace.

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  17. I did not know Julia, but I’m sorry for her family and friends. I sometimes get an inkling that something is amiss when long-time blogging friends suddenly go dark. Having a sense of closure is important for all of us. When children suddenly moved (it certainly wasn’t their fault) without having a chance to say goodbye, it filled me with sadness.

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  21. Hi Wynne
    Most of the so-called knowledge of laymen and laywomen can rather be seen as an inkling. We are quite often too lazy to transform an inkling into real knowledge.
    Interesting topic, Immanuel Kant already thought about the question of what we can know.
    All the best
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 :-):-)

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  30. I didn’t realize Julia had passed or even that she was sick. I think of her just the way you described her and I enjoyed reading her posts and comments. Thanks for highlighting her Wynne.

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