She was a force of nature. A very faithful devout Christian; a dynamic personality; a heart that wanted to invite and hold everyone in her warm embrace; a young woman struggling with her sexuality; a saint, or a wannabe saint; a small person who could never sit still. I don't think she knew how to relax.
We were both very young. I was twenty-one and she was two years younger. I never knew anyone so connected to others. We knew each other from the Baptist coffeehouse. She was dating a guy who didn't seem to love her.
She gave me a book titled "Be Not Afraid", a selection of poetic meditations by Jean Vanier, the founder of the L'Arche community. This book helped me focus my spiritual journey with its emphasis on our human frailty, of God's absolute love for us and of how his strength is made perfect in our weakness.
She fell brutally in love with a friend of mine who didn't reciprocate. She wasn't pretty, while he was. A couple of years later she came out as a lesbian. Then she came into some money and flew off to India where she hung out for six weeks with Mother Teresa in Calcutta.
She ended up marrying a church minister, a man. I was not invited to the wedding and I never saw her again save for once, about six years later in a church we were both visiting. She introduced me to her husband, we exchanged pleasantries. I haven't seen or heard of her since.
No comments:
Post a Comment