Microwave Memories.

We purchased our first microwave in twenty years this past month. It marked the end of an era, and brought to mind the loss of a very good friend. Not the microwave, but it’s previous owner.

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Twenty five years ago my life was a complete shambles. There were medical issues we were facing and the stress and sadness was beyond belief. One of the very few bright spots in that era was the group I worked with on a daily basis. I was blessed to have some very considerate coworkers. One, who shared my office, was Michele. She always had a kind word of encouragement, brought me lunch (I was the one who stayed in the office, she roamed around) when I needed a lift, and had a killer smile that would bring me out of the hole I was in emotionally. She was funny, bright, beautiful, and always a bit annoyed when I brought in some treat to the office. She had been a swimmer in college and she blamed me for turning her into a Rubenesque red head long before Christina Hendricks graced the screen in Mad Men. She had slightly less will power than I did, and the two of us lived to see what bakery treat would be on the table most mornings. She really didn’t have to worry, she would have been beautiful at 350 pounds. As it was, she’d diet when the skirts got too tight. A worthy sacrifice to enjoy the cheesecake crowns on a regular basis.

Not terribly long before I left the company, she moved to the corporate office. It was a promotion and a welcome change of pace for her. Michele was essentially an introvert who’d tackled a sales job. I know how hard she struggled to do that job on a daily basis. She was a blue jeans girl in a skirt-and-hose environment. But each day she came to work, made her sales calls, and then headed out into the field to meet with clients. My job was to interview, test, and place the temporaries in the jobs she’d scared up for them.

It would be an understatement to say that my office was one fine team. We blew out our goals every year and a big part of that was Michele’s hard work, and Julie who came on board when Michele left. I cannot thank the two of them enough for the great work they did finding jobs for me to fill.

Back to the matter at hand – the microwave. When Michele transferred to corporate I asked her what she wanted for the office microwave she’d brought for all of us to use. A nominal sum was named and a few months later when I left I took the microwave with me. It has sat, for the past 20 years, on top of my refrigerator.

Low powered, a dorm-room appliance at best, it met our needs. We didn’t microwave all that often so it cut the time on cooking by enough of a margin that it hung around until the rotating platter finally gave up the ghost. It made a grinding noise for a week and then quit.

The new one is shiny, very powerful, and very digital. The old one was analog with a dial and two heat settings. But every time I turned it on to cook something I thought of my friend Michele and her kindness.

Michele died in a head-on collision eight years ago. The driver of the other vehicle was high on cocaine and opiates when he crossed the line and destroyed her vehicle. Her husband, a very nice man, was left with tragically disabling injuries. My friend Michele was gone in an instant because of someone else’s drug use.

Each time that little microwave hummed I thought of my sweet and kind friend who did so much to lift me up and encourage me during dark times. She blessed my life and made it better in so many ways. And that little “ding” when my dinner was heated was her ringing a bell in Heaven each time.

The new microwave might be more efficient, but it won’t replace the old one. I’ll still try to remember her every time I punch the buttons and turn the knob.

If you’re so inclined, say a prayer for her husband, Dana. He needs it much as I did long ago when I shared an office with her. We both miss her.

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