In mystical Judaism there is the tradition of the Lamed Vavnik--36 righteous people whose role in life is to justify the purpose of mankind in the eyes of God. One of Maura's friends wrote her a sweet letter during her final days on earth, thanking her for the privilege of having known one of the Lamed Vavnik.
Today my doctor, who is originally from Beijing, told me that many Chinese believe that people come back again and again to become more perfect during each lifetime. When someone dies at a young age, it is a sign that they have reached a level of perfection worthy of heaven. It does not take a suspension of my Christian beliefs to settle into the warmth of the thought--that Maura was near perfect at the end of her life. Anyone who was with her during those final days would have to agree.
About Me
- Erin
- This is a picture of my daughter, Maura. She died from metastatic high-grade unclassified sarcoma* on May 19, 2009 at the age of 22. For one year I wrote about her journey with cancer. I don't know if I'll keep writing now or if I'm done. We'll just take it a day at a time. *Sarcoma is a little-known, under-researched, under-funded cancer. To contribute directly to research please consider giving a gift directly to: MD Anderson Cancer Center- Donations, PO Box 4486, Houston TX 77210-4486 ****(Please write "In memory of Maura de Souza " in the memo portion of the check to make sure it goes directly for sarcoma research.)
2 comments:
Wow. That is so beautiful, and I totally agree.
Chelsea said EXACTLY what my response was as I read this post. I concur and I love that perspective.
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