Not Forgotten

Last night, I watched this documentary about a young woman named, Joyce Vincent of London, 38 years old who was found dead in her London flat in 2006. Joyce had been dead for approximately three years before the local council had discovered her body, which was because they forced entry into her flat because of unpaid rent. Her T.V. was still on and her decomposed body was surrounded by wrapped Christmas gifts. What I found alarming is that no one reported her missing and of course the neighbors had smelled her decomposed body, but ignored to report the fumes. In the documentary, her friends described her as very beautiful, articulate, an immaculate dresser, and having an outgoing personality.  Joyce did not smoke, drink, or do drugs. Her cause of death is still unknown. None of her friends or family knew of her passing and when they had learned how her body was discovered, they were in complete shock. Somehow, she was forgotten. Her close friends assumed that Joyce was off living the life that they dreamed of because they haven’t heard from her in a while…my whole point of sharing this story is that yes, we as women have very busy lives. We are in such a hurry with our own lives that we sometimes forget to notice  the needs of others, especially if they’re not in our immediate family or close circle of friends of whom we keep daily or weekly contact with. As you go throughout your week, make it a point to let another woman in your life know that she is not forgotten. Call a friend or distant relative that you haven’t spoken to in a while and let them know that you are thinking of them. Take the lady that lives next door to you or across the street from you some flowers. Take the time to lend an ear without being judgmental, just listen. Offer to take one of your coworkers whom you normally don’t associate with to lunch.

NEVER assume that everything is okay in the next woman’s life because she appears to be well put together. Joyce had some issues of her own, just like the rest of us, but was probably too ashamed to discuss them with her friends and family. Just remember that none of us are above having problems and EVERY woman, every now and then, wants to know that she is not forgotten.

XOXO,

Jay