Perhaps some of this attitude is due to overconfidence, and some due to laziness, but what I have learned is that no reason makes up for the pain of realizing that, when our friend or loved one is no longer with us, it’s been months, or even years since we last spoke to them, and that we never did get the chance to tell them what a difference they have made in our lives.
This reflection stems from news I received early Wednesday morning that my dear friend, Christine, had passed away from breast cancer in Santiago, Chile. Christine was an American emigrant that had married a Chilean iconographer and was the choir director at the Orthodox church I had attended while studying abroad in Santiago. She was energetic and always busy with one church activity or another. Her kindness and openness helped me to feel at home away from home. She and I would constantly discuss music, St. Vladimir’s Seminary (where she received a Masters degree), and the U.S. to Chile transition. Singing with her was one of the most enriching activities I have ever participated in. Since being back in the States, I had emailed her a few times, but quickly the business of a new marriage, house, and job overtook my already few opportunities to keep in touch.
This last Sunday, my family sang at a wedding for another dear friend. Because the bride’s goddaughter was from Guatemala, I offered to sing “What Shall I Render to the Lord”, in Spanish. Christine had taught it to me in Chile, and I thought it would be appropriate. The entire time I was singing it, I was thinking about how I couldn’t wait to email Christine to tell her about it and how cool she’d think it was. However, too quickly the business returned and I didn’t even check my email until Wednesday morning.
As I was getting ready to leave for school, I stole what I thought would be an innocent 5 minutes to look at my inbox. However, what I read were 2 emails from the past week that contained the shocking news that 1) Christine had been admitted to the hospital with cancer, and 2) she had passed away on Tuesday.
I’d like to think that somehow Christine knows about the hymn that we sung unknowingly in her honor at my friend’s wedding, and I pray to God that somehow my thoughts for her that day transcended time and space to give her comfort in her final hours.
The lesson I learned, which I hope I am articulating well, is that we, or more specifically I, should never be too busy to call a friend just to say hi. That I shouldn’t wait for Christmas, or a major life event to communicate how much I care about my friend or family member who is physically far from me. It is my goal that those of you who read this, my dear friends and family, will be receiving a phone call from me soon, just to say hi, and to let you know how dear you are to me and what a difference you have made in my life.
God bless you all!
¡Que la memoria de Christine sea eterna!
