December 2006

Dear Friends,

Here we are, almost at the peak of a new Christmas season when soon enough we’ll find ourselves overwhelmed by equal amounts of socializing and last-minute frantic shopping sprees. Also, some of us will experience déja-vu when it comes to the food, considering the Thanksgiving leftovers still sitting pretty comfortably on a shelf in the refrigerator! But before we allow ourselves to get to that point, let us make some time for reflection, appreciation, and compassion. Even though I feel these are things that should be embedded in our daily lives, it’s easy to get swallowed up in the vortex of life’s responsibilities. But I guess it’s the increased spiritual emphasis of the season that brings me around to this frame of mind…

Not too long ago, I called a very dear friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in a while (for the aforementioned reasons) and suggested we get together for dinner. We finally did and spent a wonderful Friday evening enjoying the food, drinking the wine, and meeting the owner of the cozy, excellent restaurant. We talked about traveling--Scott’s fresh memories of his first trip to Spain, Myrna’s plans to return to Argentina where she had fallen in love with the landscape, both geographical and cultural, and me, of course, daydreaming how I could bring my work to the children on that side of paradise! At the end of our meal, after thanking the waitress and our host, we headed out to the crisp, fall evening but not before we ran into another dear friend, Diana, who coincidentally had just returned from a trip to Argentina , fresh from a tour with her choir Coral Cantigas. The chance encounter was yet another wonderful explosion of good feelings and mutual recaps of our lives in 30 seconds or less! I don’t get to see Diana that often, so it was a double treat. We left Myrna, Diana, and her husband Ernesto so they could continue their reunion, and Scott and I left elated by the wonderful evening…

As usual, I began my weekday by checking my e-mails. In my in-box, I recognized the sender’s name, Ana, in bold letters. But I could not wrap my head around what I read next. Dazed and afraid to find out the full meaning of the message, I lingered on the heading: A child has died. I can’t deny the feeling of terror and hopelessness that invaded me when I read that Myrna’s 12-year-old grandson had been killed by a car on his way home from school. His name was Luke and not only was he a physically beautiful child, with the great-looking Latin genes of his mother Valerie and the adventurous, nature-loving gusto of his father Paul, this child’s spirit was also as bright as the sun that shone on him on his many outings! Luke was what I call an “old soul.” Testimony to this was the ease, charm and great manners he showed with both his peers and his elders. I remember the first time I met him for a few minutes at his grandmother’s house when he was probably 5 years old. After all these years, I cannot recall what he said to me during that visit but I will never forget the impact and impression that he left! I was immediately smitten and impressed not only by his quick sense of humor but also by his demeanor and the weight with which he carried himself. After that, I kept tabs on him and his sister Hannah, always asking, “What part of the world are they in now?” I celebrate the short but rich life he led and the extensive knowledge of the world he gained on his trips. His beautiful physical self might be gone but the light of his spirit will live on along with his memory.

So in this season of Christmas, let us look around ourselves and focus on what is really relevant and meaningful, the love of our family and friends and the gifts they give us each day. And remember that real beauty is ephemeral, as much as it is fragile.

May your holidays be filled with remembrance and peace,

Edwin