Beyond the Rainbow

Linda (Lombardi) Samson

Forty-five years ago today Linda (Lombardi) Marie Samson died at age 29 in an automobile accident on our way home from Lake Tahoe. Our terrible loss affected the lives of me and her two daughters, Molly and Vanessa, in immeasurable ways, as well as, I'm sure the lives of her friends and anyone who ever met her.

She possessed a glowing presence. She laughed and cried, understanding well the emotions of joy and sorrow. She loved to help those in distress, befriending many wandering souls who had lost their way. Her heart loomed large.

We knew each other since high school. We grew up together. We experienced our good and bad times, always finding our way back.

Thinking about her today, on the heels of September 11, puts me in a contemplative mood.

I don't believe I could have survived without the help of my friends. In particular, Kim (Fredericks) and David Safir, Paul and Bette Ann Greene, Abner and Maria Greene, Jenny Mackintosh, Michelle Dugar, Fred and Tony Lombardi, my sister Mary (Samson) and Mark Fotheringham, and my parents Dorothy and Frank Samson.

The greatest fortune came my way when I met Barbara Beverly who would become my wife and mother of our children, including a third daughter, Bryna. The timing and ease of our meeting, as well as her motherly instincts, came naturally as though an unknown pretense were guiding us, a force from beyond.

Some say there is no such thing as coincidence. I would agree, with the caveat that our universe may be simpler, more connected than we can possibly understand. Its randomness is every bit as true as its perfection.

The greatest loss resulting from Linda's passing, is that Molly and Vanessa never had the opportunity to know her better. And Linda never experienced the pride and satisfaction of how wonderful they and their children have become. 

Or perhaps she knows.