When I first heard that my college roommate had died two weeks ago… I almost stopped breathing myself. I read a post from her family on Facebook. Michele was my age, 49, when she succumbed to MSA, or Multiple System Atrophy, a rare form of Parkinson’s Disease.
I have a picture of her and I and our other good friend Jennifer from just four years ago… prior to her diagnosis. She looks as healthy as anyone looks. She was the most athletic person I had ever known. She was a runner, she played basketball and volleyball, and she practiced yoga and Pilates. She was always keeping fit and cared for her body and health immensely.
Michele and I became fast friends when she moved to my hometown in 11th grade. She became fast friends with most kids in our grade really. None of us ever recall a time of ‘getting to know’ her, because she fit right in immediately. She was super fun and always wanted to be hanging out with lots of people. She had an infectious smile. She accepted people and was not judgmental of others.
Michele was a practicing Catholic and had a serious faith in God, even throughout her illness. She maintained that God was there for her no matter what happened. In her eulogy, her brother talked about how she never complained about her pain or disability, despite being restricted to a wheelchair in her last year and needing 24-hour care. She always maintained hope. She saw her three children off to their respective colleges in August, and then peacefully died in her sleep a month later.
I will miss Michele. She gave me many gifts embedded in our friendship: loyalty, kindness, care and concern, laughter and so much fun. The six years from 1985-1991 are marked with so many memories and fondness. I am grateful for her presence in my life. She lived quite a beautiful life… one marked with great friends, husband, and children.
She inspired others to be better. She, even in her death, inspires me to be better. Within the wake of a death, particularly that of a younger person, comes a precious reminder of life. Life is found here, in this moment. Not later when you retire, or in the past from a younger time… here, right in this moment, in this space, in this time. I believe Michele understood this. I thank her now for this reminder for my own life. I am grateful to be alive today and to witness my own children growing up, cherishing my relationships with all my loved ones.
The older I get, the more I realize that life is all about LOVE. The bottom line is LOVE. I witnessed immense love in that funeral home, the church…and am grateful I got a chance to reconnect back to my memories of Michele and be with her family and my old friends.
#Gratitude #Love #Oldfriends #LiveLife
