"When you get here, it is really nice. I am not afraid."

Oh... There is Ronni's last gift to us.

Thank you Ronni.

And thank you Autumn. You're doing a lovely job. And you are a writer.

Ronni, I will miss you. Thank you for it all. When I have come to this page I have been sitting with a personal friend. My love follows you.

Farewell as you go beyond the veil. From time to time I feel the moment for travel has come.
On the day of leaving, cast a veil
of humble sunset-glaze.
Let the time to leave
be quiet, still. Let no pompous memorials
build the hypnosis of grieving.
Let the lines of trees by the departure door
bestow the tranquil chanting of earth
on quiet heaps of leaves.
Let night’s soundless blessing slowly descend,
iridescent offerings of the seven stars. Tagore

I knew it was coming but still a shock. Bon voyage, dear Ronni

It was a very sad, painful message to have received a short while ago. In the short amount of time that I knew her, from the time she entered the lives of Kathy and
Tom, I felt a close connection with her. This was Ronni’s gift to her followers in that each of us felt this connection. I enjoyed her blogs, I enjoyed our few personal emails. The ancient Hebrew prayer is so appropriate for Ronni:
May her memory endure as a blessing!

My appreciation to you, Autumn, for continuing forward with what she started.

Another woman I knew died this week. I'm sort of in awe of these women dying at about the same time. I've so enjoyed Ronnie's posts here for years...seldom missing a single one. Thank you, Nancy Ewart, for Tagore's poem. May you find the way to the summer-lands, and may your family and friends know peace, dear Ronnie. What a blessing you've given to me here. Thank you!

I rarely agreed, but always read.
Ronnie, I will miss you.

Thank you, Autumn. When "Interesting Stuff" was missing this morning, I feared the worst. I knew this day was coming--especially when Ronni said she could no longer get out of the bathtub. (That will likely be a marker for me as well when my time is near.) Still, her death comes as a shock, especially after viewing her on the Alex & Ronni Show only a few days ago.

I know she really wanted to hang around long enough to see the would-be Emperor of tRumpystan booted out of the White House (we hope, we hope!) I'm SO glad she was not afraid at the end. I look forward to "TGB 2.0" whatever form it may take.

Somehow I was drawn back to look and listen to the Ronni and Alex show today, and listening now as I'm reading about "I am not afraid" To everything there is a Season,
Her life and her soul shared with us, and may her family be comforted, Alex, her son and his family too. Feel that she's not in pain now, and will be watching over us.

I mourn her passing. I am grateful for the community she built here.

I have to say I am surprised, though not shocked. I just watched the most recent Alex and Ronni show last night, and thought Ronni was glowing. Perhaps it was the serenity of letting go.

I am generally fearful of the whole sickness and dying part of aging, and at 70 just beginning to experience it with myself and my husband. Reading how Ronni dealt with it was very helpful for me, and in a way a role model, though I don't think I'll ever do it as well as she did.

Thank you Ronnie for sharing yourself so honestly with us. I am sad to lose your wise words. Rest in peace.

Learned so much about myself because of go. Sleep peacefully

Love you, Ronni. Miss you and always will.

Saturday mornings will never the same. I feel a bit like I might have as a child, if I had woken up one morning to discover the cartoons had been discontinued. At least in this case, Autumn will be carrying on and this site will still be here. Thank you for that commitment, Autumn.

May you rest in peace in Ronni Bennett. Thank you for your creation of Time Goes By and your unflagging devotion to it for all these years. You will be fondly remembered. I'm sorry that you will not be here to celebrate when Joe and Kamala beat the pants off the current president and his VP.

I’ve lost a good friend who taught me so much over the years. I hope you knew how much you’ll be missed.

I am comforted that Ronni was able to leave on her own terms and that she was not afraid. For myself, I am very sad. I have lost a smart, funny friend and cannot explain to anyone how the author of a blog came to mean so much to me. I was not ready, I thought she would wait for the election, but I suppose towards the end, you let go of earthly concerns.

Many, many thanks Ronni Bennett. I will remember you and your mom as long as I'm here. My condolences to Ronni's family.

I followed her for years and I will miss her. Thank you Autumn for letting us know she is now whole and free.

I am so sad.

Gutted.
I logged in early this morning looking for the Saturday post. Not there, so I began watching the latest Alex and Ronni show. Got interrupted, the day went by, and I'm just returning to the blog now. My stomach just fell to my feet. I was not ready for this, even though Ronni did her best to prepare us. In a year of so many losses, this is a big, big one. More than anything, Ronni had, what only the really good writers have, a distinctive voice. I will miss that voice, and her fearless wisdom, so very much.
Thank you, Autumn, for being an in-person friend to our dear Ronni, who so many of us came to know only through this blog. I am glad that her end was peaceful, but I am typing through my tears.

Friday I was thinking of how profoundly I would miss Ronni's straightforward ways and words; I didn't know I would have to focus on it the next day. Despite her having done everything she could to prepare us for it, it is still a harsh, harsh stab in the heart ... and will continue to be so.
Her words to you, Autumn, the umpteenth gift to us, as is the knowledge that thanks to the two of you, we will still have this community to come to and share our grief with. I always told Ronni that her posts were gifts that would keep on giving (I have saved so many of them) and her presence in our lives is another gift that will keep on giving.
As Tony said, please let us know what we can do to help you celebrate her life and mourn her death.
Thank you, Ronni, and thank you, Autumn.

Ronnie, you made us laugh, you made us think and you made us care. You will be so missed.
Thank you Autumn for being there for her and letting us know she wasn't afraid.

Oh no, Autumn. I am sad to hear this news.

I was hoping Ronni would witness T losing the election.

Even though we never met in person, Ronni was my NYC friend.

We shared a similar sense of humour.

I picture Ronni walking around her former NYC neighbourhood, chatting with friends.

Her cat Ollie looking out their apartment window.

Walking through WS park.

People watching.

Hanging out in Ronni’s Cafe, sharing stories, laughing.

Ronni, thank you for mentioning my books on your blog, and your kind comments.

Your Montréal Fan forever.

I found Ronni in 1997 on The Ageless Project when I began my blogging. She was a wonderful writer and she allowed all of us an outlet for our writing through TIMEGOESBY. We laughed with her and many others and we cried also. Cannot believe this day has finally come. Blessings to you Ronni. We all loved you so.

Goodbye Ronnie...loving you on your journey and standing with all of us left behind. I will genuinely miss you, dear one. Sad and loving

I am so sad to hear this news. I looked forward to her blog. I hope I will go into the final sleep with dignity and courage. It is comforting to hear her final words. Leaves me peaceful that she is no longer in pain.
comfort to you Autumn . She is an inspiring woman.

Thank you for being willing to keep Ronni's blog going. i know you will do a beautiful job, because it is being done with great love and care. I will miss Ronni. She not only offered lessons in dying, but in living, as well, and for that I am very grateful.

I am so sorry and somehow shocked
I need to catch my breath...
Ronni will be missed
Her musings have brought such pleasure and insight
She helped me think
Thank you Autumn for continuing her legacy

Thank you, Autumn! Ronni spoke of you often. I'm glad you were available for her.
Wow...that's all I have to say, Ronni is gone. Wow...she's gone.

Thank you.

So sorry she missed the election results or it could be a good thing.

She will be so missed by us. She was such a gift.

Condolences to all her close family and friends she will be missed.

A wonderful role model for aging with dignity. May her memory be for a blessing.

I’ve followed Ronni for a bit now and have gained wisdom from her living through and beyond her diagnosis. This diary, at times lighthearted, at times brutal in it’s honesty, has helped me grow towards my own end. I will miss this daily conversation.

Like others, I somehow wasn't ready (although I feel that that is coming from a selfish place in me). Seeing Ronni in her last show with Alex left me feeling that there was more time. The fact that Ronni was ready to go so near the date of the election -- something that she had genuinely wanted to see -- tells us what these last few days/weeks had been like for her. I wish that she could have been here to see the election through, but her decision tells me that these earthly concerns had receded much more than I was able to sense. "When you get here, it is really nice. I am not afraid." Thank you for that, Ronni, and everything else along the way.

Ah, Ronni, there was never going to be enough time but I was selfishly hoping for a bit more.
Wishing you fair winds and following seas as your journey continues. You are already missed.
Thank you, Autumn. Much appreciated.

My heart is breaking and the tears are flowing. I never met her personally but I felt I "knew her". It is at least comforting to know she is out of pain and free. Fly with the angels beautiful soul.

Thank you Autumn for keeping this blog alive.

Thank you for letting us know. I am in tears.

Ronnie's writing, always direct from the heart and eloquent in its simplicity, will be sorely missed. Her wonderful sense of humor and honestly likely belied much of the suffering she felt day in and day out. Like so many others, I will miss her terribly. A book is a great idea. I would love to be able to flip through the pages of her writings. Thank you, Autumn, for representing her. Condolences to all!

Although I didn’t know Ronnie I read her blog daily. She will be missed. 😢

A great woman courageous until the end. She was and is loved and appreciated and her passion and strength are making my own journey easier now and when I, too, will get to my end.

Thank you Ronni where ever you are, you will be missed.

Thank you Autumn for sharing with us.

I just got this news with a shock! I definitely thought she would be here to see the election through. I am so sorry. I will miss her. But her last words were really helpful and beautiful. I'm so happy to have known her. Thank you, Autumn, for continuing her blog.

From Ronnie’s beloved book, the Fall of Freddie the Leaf, A story of life for all ages by Leo Buscaglia, Ph.D.

“It’s been about the sun and the moon. It’s been about happy times together. It’s been about shade and the old people and the children. It’s been about colors in Fall. It’s been about seasons.”

Goodbye for now, Ronnie.

Thank you for allowing me to be in your intimate space of dying. It was an honor to care for you and to know you for the last chapter of your life.

Ronnie was so proud of making a difference here with all of you and felt so loved, appreciated and challenged in the best way.

What a gift she was. We followed her journey like a road map for our own lives and the final gift of reassurance to us at the end of her journey gives us all hope that this life is just part of the destination. The authenticity of her writing and her willingness to reveal all aspects of her experience should become a book of instructions on how to live and how to die. May we all aspire to her ability to see life in the midst of death.

I, too, find myself in tears and feeling deep sadness for someone I never met. I was always interested and touched by what Ronnie shared and what she believed in. She had conviction and determination. Her final words give me a image of her stepping over a threshold, turning her head to us and giving reassurance as she moves on to the next shore. It really is a passage. I will miss her and so appreciate all she gave us. Thank you Autumn for giving Ronnie a way for this blog to continue. I am sure that was hugely important to her. Good luck and we are all out here, open to what you might offer. Nancy R. Canada

My mind sees Ronni, free - prancing about in her Old Lady Fancy Pants - while I thank you, Autumn, for carrying on a tradition.

As Edie Birken wrote, "May her memory endure as a blessing!"

Thank you Autumn.

Like all here, even though we knew it was coming, I too feel the shock. And the tears keep coming.

She gave us all a community. And she was not afraid, such a gift.

Wishing you the very best Journey Ronni... ✨

Thank you Ronni. Thank you Autumn.

To know that you “made a difference” for the better seems to me to be the best summation of a life well-lived! Ronni made such a difference to me and to so many.

I hope that as you embraced her and held her hand, she felt the love and gratitude from so many of us!

I hope she wrote her own obituary because I would love to read it!

Unexpected, though I knew this was coming at some point. I am saddened. But also heartened by Ronni's final words, a gift to be sure. I hope wherever she is, it is good.