A lovely, heartfelt note from a thoughtful colleague, written in late 2020, expressing the perfect balance of respect and concern for a seriously ill colleague:

I have been holding myself back from checking in on S**** because I don't want her to feel any pressure of any kind, and I don't want to distract or interrupt her rest, recovery, and time with her family. I do have a lot of concern and personal best wishes for her, but I thought it best to wait and hear from her when she's ready. Since you are a friend of the family, I just wondered if you have any insight into how she's doing (if she or her husband want to keep everything private, I understand and respect their wishes). If you talk with her, please let her know M****, J****, and the whole team send our best. There is absolutely zero need for her to think about work or worry about returning — just lots of people sending thoughts of concern and wishes for her recovery.
v/r
James

_{^z - 2024-07-21}