Like a Candle in the Wind


Farewell, Serena
Origin of name: Serenus.  Meaning calm, tranquil, serene.





Try as I would, the sudden passing on of a young mother and wife keeps popping up in my mind.  Serena was her name. Like a candle in the wind, she left this earth. But not before she had played two games of netball, probably harnessing all her energy and focusing on the moment. Then she was no more.

Those who remain behind are still reeling with shock, trying to make sense of the brevity of life; searching for answers. One of my inspirational proverbs comes to mind: “ Do your outdoor work and get your fields ready, then build your house”.  Who says that Serena – a young wife and mother who succumbed to a suspected heart attack – had not come full circle by having completed her earthly stint and is ready to resume her spiritual existence? Are we perhaps not projecting our own lack of understanding of our purpose here on earth, when confronted with events such as these?


It is during such raw moments, when we lose beloved ones, that we have to take stock of our own lives. It is during such times that we are made aware of our own vulnerabilities, our own mortality. And perhaps even more piercing is the question: are we living purposefully, adding value to our lives and to others and do we realize that we are spiritual beings having a human experience?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's been a year since I had breast cancer and life is good.

Image
Ayesha (far right), my past student and now wonderful radiologist, posing with me after the mammogram and ultrasound moments.   On 18 May, it was a year after I had a lumpectomy.  As you will recall, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and the option my surgeon, Dr Edge, recommended was a lumpectomy. Fortunately, there was no evidence of spreading after the binodal biopsy and thus I had to only go for radiation after the operation. The year had flown past. Just the other day, my family and I were dealing with all the visits to the hospital for the lumpectomy, the 30 daily sessions of radiation and then the recovery period. In fact, our lives went back to normal pretty soon after this trauma and life has been good. Sometimes when certain well-meaning folk enquire about my health whenever they see me, my mischievous streak hovers below the surface. When they ask , "And how is your health  now?" their voices drop, their mouths contort ...
Read more

Packing for our Thailand trip

Image
I think I am getting better with packing for holidays - whether it is for local breakaways, camping or most recently, for our holiday in Thailand. I still overpacked ( rolling eyes) by putting in all my light lacy throw-overs because I prefer my "Sauls" arms to have a wee bit of covering. Believe me, those lacy tops stayed put in the luggage bag for the duration of our trip!   We use Jiffy self-locking  bags as our packing cubes, a cheaper version of the material cubes you can buy. The Jiffy bags are transparent and vacuum seal as well, creating more space in  your luggage bag. Our travel wardrobe I  think we worry unnecessarily about what to wear when going on holiday. All the clothes you usually wear when you run errands or when you go out, would be just perfect for Thailand as well. If you intend dining at an upmarket restaurant or want to visit a smart club, you can pack in dressy shoes and a fancy outfit. We however,were just going to do regula...
Read more

Ni hao (Hello) China Travelogue Landing Page

Here are  the links to all the posts about my experiences in China. How not to pack for overseas travel. Time for Guanzhou morning tea and savoring dim sim at Nan Yuan restaurant. Our visits to Flower City and the Guangzhou Public library Cruising on the Pearl River in Guangzhou on a starry night.
Read more