Clau dia Da vie, joined St. Mark s in 1981. They shared an apartment in St. Charles until Clau dia s death in 1997. But they shared more than that. I witnessed a mother-daugh ter relationship of which most mothers and daughters could be envi ous. Not only was there enormous mutual love and respect, but friendship as well.
Many families end up with an elderly parent liv ing with the child because they have to.
Claudia and Val lived together because they wanted to. Val s generous spirit went beyond her mother, though. I wit nessed it each quarter, when she would pick up multiple copies of the daily devotional book Portals of Prayer , which she mailed to friends who might not have had any other Christian influence. It gives me peace to think of Val and Claudia, side by side, sharing smiles with all the children of heaven. A Friendship That Really Bloomed by Ann Fink Most friendships, like gardens, need time to flower and grow.