A good friend got it right when he called to console me on the death of my sister, Cricket.

He said, “The longer I live, the more I see there are two kinds of people in the world. There are the lovers, who love people, care about people and want to lift them up. Then there are the haters, who are angry, attack people and always blame others for their problems. Cricket was a loving soul.”

She was that. She was also a lover of cats, of scrambled eggs for supper and of Wheel of Fortune (“She was a beast,” our daughter said). She was a doting aunt who could be counted on to give our kids permission to do something their parents or grandparents would have forbidden. (“Just don’t get hurt or get too dirty,” she told them.)

She was a good friend to many. She had a wicked wit and a quick mind. Like me, she was a troglodyte who read the paper cover to cover every day.

She had her difficulties in life. Her health had been declining for many months. Now her suffering is over.

Peace be with her.