I’m not sure why I remembered her today. Maybe all the Facebook
posts of friends having friends who passed away triggered it.
I met her way before the Facebook age and in a lot of ways I’m
glad we did. At the time, writing real letters was the only way to keep in
touch without spending a ton of money, and I remember how I eagerly awaited all
her letters and postcards from a place that seemed so alien yet so fascinating
to me.
Her name is Ivy. I met her in
1992 when I was a sophomore in the university and I had just shifted majors
from Molecular Biology to Sociology. I didn’t know any of the other
students but Ivy took it upon herself to be my ‘buddy’. She was very
friendly and I just remember her making me feel at ease. As the semesters
passed, we would always find ourselves in the same classes and we’d always sit
together, mostly in the front row. We would share notes, be project team
mates, review buddies during exams and whenever I had to miss class due to
illness or for whatever reason, she would always be there for me to tell me
what I’ve missed and let me borrow her notes so I won’t fall behind. She
was that kind of person—very helpful, accommodating,
reliable, and highly intelligent.
It did not take long for us to become
friends. Sometimes we would hang out in campus or even go to the mall to
catch a movie during our long breaks. I later found out that she had a
Japanese boyfriend ("T") at the time and that things were pretty
serious. Soon after our college graduation, she got married and I was one
of her bridesmaids. It was a quiet yet meaningful ceremony.
A part of me felt it may have been
too early. She was fresh out of college and she could still do a lot of things
and accomplish much. Was she ready? But at the same time, a part of
me knew that she was a mature person, strong and capable of whatever life threw
at her.
She migrated with T to Japan after
getting married. T’s job was there and of course it was the practical
choice. When Ivy moved, our correspondence began. I’m pretty sure
she was the one who sent the very first letter. She would send one, I’d
reply and send one out. Then I’d eagerly await her next letter, telling
me of her new life in a foreign country. It was helpful for her
adjustment to be in touch with me and it was a wonderful experience for me as
she opened my eyes to a bigger world filled with possibilities. I was a
curious and indulging friend and audience and I was always thrilled to learn
about her adventures. We were both in our early 20s yet I knew how vastly
different our paths were. I have always found living abroad on my own a
seductive thought, attending a foreign university an exhilarating possibility,
and there was my friend living all that. The choice to live vicariously
was a no-brainer for me.
Her earlier letters were mostly about
adjusting to a foreign culture (language, customs, religion, etc). Then
there were letters about adjusting to married life and it did not take long for
her letters to then shift to motherhood. Eventually it became about
balancing family life and career as she found work as a teacher and writer and
I am certain she excelled in both. At the time, these were not my
realities. But now that I am also with family and living in a foreign
country, I realize that I can find a wealth of wisdom in her letters. I
read her words now and they might as well had been written by me! Her
angst, her struggles with motherhood and its rewards, issues with her spouse,
all seem like my own echoes, only these echoes preceded my realities.
In late 2004, the same year I
migrated here to the U.S., a devastating tsunami hit various countries in Southeast
Asia. Ivy, with her husband and three children were vacationing in
Phuket, Thailand at the time. It was around Christmas when all
this happened and by the New Year, I received news that she died when the
tsunami hit. Her husband and three very young children were never found and
eventually presumed dead.
None of this made sense to me.
How can this happen? She was so young, had so much promise, was just
starting out, had such young children. How can this wonderful, almost
magical human being leave this earth so soon, so tragically?
Still, none of this makes sense and
eleven years after the fact, I still feel my insides grieving for her and her
lovely family. I now imagine how it would have been if we were both on
Facebook, constantly sharing our writing online, pictures of our children, and
inviting each other’s families to visit. I’ll never know, will never find the
answers. All I am grateful for is that in the short time she lived, I
knew her and was touched by her beautiful spirit and wisdom she always so
selflessly shared. She may be physically gone, yet her presence, her mark, lives
on in each life she has touched along the way. That, I am certain
of.
In one of the science shows I watch,
where the topic was the possibility of life after death, someone suggested that
this merely refers to the legacy we leave behind after dying. An idea was
proposed that each life can be likened to a mosaic, an image made of tiny
pieces, details put together in a beautiful way. While we are alive,
those we touch around us, those special to us or to whom we are special, are
able to make a ‘copy’ of that mosaic. Though the pieces are much larger, less
complex, less intricate, and therefore more blurry and less precise, what results
is still a copy of the original, albeit less perfect.
I find comfort in this idea. Now that
Ivy is gone and I read her words as she shared her life as a mother, wife,
writer and thinker in a foreign country, I realize that she has been living
within me and through me all this time. She died young but I could never say
that her life could have been better, could have been fuller or more meaningful.
She took great risks, loved deeply, thought profoundly and lived passionately.
Is there really anything to regret?
She continues to inspire me, nudging
me to do my best to try to make as many worthwhile copies of my own mosaic
while I still have time. And the numbers don’t matter as much to me as the
quality of these copies. I wish them to be as intricate and as pronounced as
they could possibly be. After all, life is indeed measured not by its length
but by its beauty, by how you touched others' lives and the value you have
added to the world during your borrowed time. In the end, it boils down to love—how much and how deeply you knew love and never feared to live it and be in its presence in all that you do.
Thank you, my friend. Thank you, Ivy, for loving life and allowing me to witness how gracefully you did it.
*This essay was previously published on Catharsis on 8.5.2011 under the title Her Vibrant Mosaic. It has been modified for this current publication.
This is a beautiful tribute to your friend Joy!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marie. That means a lot.
DeleteA poignant memorial to a lovely friend. Life is so fragile sometimes. Thank you for a wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteVery fragile indeed, Katie. And we never really know when it's our last encounter with those we care about. Thank you so much.
DeleteThis is beautiful. Thankyou for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah.
DeleteWhat a terrible, horrible tragedy! A whole family gone forever. It just hearts my heart to think about. Lovely tribute to your friend Joy it was beautiful. I am sure that she is watching over your family now.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard about the whole family missing, I was devastated. But then the more I thought about it, I felt it was better that way, rather than Ivy surviving alone or her children without her. I'm sure they are all in heaven together. Thanks, Rena.
DeleteWhat a beautiful tribute to a beautiful friend. I believe that we do go on. That her family is together somewhere. Happy. And continuing. Thank you for sharing her with us.
ReplyDeleteYes, Diane. And that was what comforted me, that they're together somewhere and blessed. Thank you for your thoughts. xoxo
DeleteLovely tribute. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rudri. That means a lot.
DeleteWhat a touching tribute. And how fortunate that you had her as a friend in this life for as long as you did -- and that you carry her in your heart and memory forever.
ReplyDeleteI love so many things about this piece from the story of your friendship to the beautiful picture of the handwritten letters scattered on your desk. It inspires me to write to my close friends more often. They are truly keepsakes and reminders of a shared bond. Beautiful post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteA very lovely and moving tribute to your friend. I am so sorry for your loss. How tragic.
ReplyDeleteOh if she could read this!Just lovely and so sad. A tragedy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely remembrance of your friend. I'm so sorry you lost her.
ReplyDeleteEstelle
A beautiful memory and such a sad, sad story. I am especially touched by the way she still impacts you today.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute and truly lovely perspective on life, living and love. It is amazing how people we had the privilege of loving deeply in life can in fact cradle us from the grave.
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry for the loss of your dear friend. You have written such a beautiful tribute, it make me wish I had known Ivy also - and reminds me to appreciate the friends I do have. The concept of life being like a mosaic is a fascinating one. We touch the lives of others in so many ways, and never really always know what an impact we may have had. Ivy's mosaic has increased in size with this post.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post Joy, and lovely remembrance of your friend. It's amazing how people touch our lives, in ways big and small, and leave their footprint on our hearts. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad event, yet such a beautifully written post. It's heartwarming to know Ivy left such a lasting impression on you...as all good human beings should. x
ReplyDelete