Nancy Caldwell’s friends and colleagues gathered to honor her

by the George Sand statue in the Jardin du Luxembourg on Nov. 22, 2018,

which was Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving was both Nancy’s favorite holiday and the day she died a year earlier.

Her dear friend, Virginia Soukup, chose the location for Nancy’s Parisian memorial

because Nancy began her walks around the park

(during which she’d pay homage to all the statues)

at the portrait of the woman she was writing about at the end of her life.

Everyone sang Josephine Baker's "J`ai Deux Amours",

before sharing memories of their friend.

Then Virginia and another of Nancy’s colleagues, James Gerard,

concluded the outdoor portion of the gathering by turning

Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “How many sailors to sail a ship” into a rousing duet.

The poem reminds me of how Nancy’s eyes mirrored our tossed seas

and why all our hearts have sunk like anchors.  

We miss you so much, my love.

This is for you, my love, on your birthday

Dec. 2, 2018.

I love you forever.

Nancy Caldwell's voice

Nancy Caldwell's phone message in Paris.