Somewhere, on June 28, 2017, a
bell rang a 10:41 am. “Every time a bell
rings an angel gets their wings,” was the famous line said by the angel ZuZu in
the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” So,
I know a bell rang somewhere.
Growing up, my parents had a
clock in the foyer of our house that needed to be wound every couple of
days. When it ran, it kept great
time. You could tell when it was time
for the next winding, as the clock’s time started to slow down. All one had to do is take out the clock key,
insert the key into the slot on the clock’s face and after a few twists, the
clock was back on track. Without someone
to help (wind) the clock, it would slowly wind down its life, getting slower
and slower until it stopped completely.
I remember meeting Magda about
30 years ago. She was part of my brother
Jeff’s group at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
I know that after they graduated, Magda, while still Jeff’s friend
bounced in and out of his life. Then one
day, she was back in and then like a spark, their friendship rekindled at a
higher level. I am always amazed at
stories where two people knew each other and then years later fall in
love. Someone recently pointed out to
how this story validates the old adage - If you love someone, set them free; if
they come back, it was meant to be. It
was great to see my brother so happy and Magda was truly a great addition to
our family.
They say that as humans, we
understand the concept of time and our movement through it. However, we only really know and live in the now. Yes, we have memories of what came before
(filtered through our own prisms) and expectations / desires of what is to
come. But at the end of the day, we live
in the now. Magda believed in living
life to the fullest, even after being diagnosed with cancer, even after the surgeries,
even after the chemo, etc. She still traveled, went to concerts and really lived life. In Magda’s shortened life, I would venture to
say that she experienced more now moments than some people live in a full lifetime.
We all know about the law of
attraction, yet to see someone that unconsciously embodies that spirit is
amazing to see. Magda had the natural ability
to be friends with everyone she met. For
the holidays at their house, we never knew who would be invited as a new
friend. A close friend tells the story
that every time Magda visited, she would come with a well packed handbag filled
with gifts for whomever she was visiting; plus a few extras just in case, as
Magda did not want anyone to feel left out.
This is a great analogy showing how giving, loving and caring of a person
Magda was; everyone that knew her has an experience, an expression or a simple
Magda moment that they carry with them. She
was full of life, loved living it to its fullest and encouraged others to do so
as well.
Magda was a strong, brave
person who found a way to stare death in its face and continue to live a full
life and, sometimes, exhausting life (especially to an outside observer). A number of years ago, during one of the
battles she won, she told Debbie in all seriousness not to be fooled, one day
she would no longer be here. FIFTEEN
YEARS - through which she had numerous surgeries, chemo, radiation, etc. – she always
had the brave face on, always was concerned with others, always lent a helping
hand, and always gave us wonderful stories to remember her by.
There is the theory called the
Butterfly Effect, simply stated that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can be
felt around the world. I had the chance
to see this in practice. Over the
weekend, one of Magda’s friends had reached out to her friends in the global
community – the Middle East, Europe and South America. Everyone felt the desire to connect celebrating
this person that touched them so deeply.
At 12:00 pm, New York time, a global moment of silence was held. I could feel the chill up my arms at what
this meant, the impact of a single person on the lives of others. This was a most amazing moment to behold and
a true testament to what Magda meant to so many people.
The hands of time finally
caught up to Magda. The doctors could no
longer find the right key to wind Magda’s clock back up. And as with the clock in my parent’s foyer,
this precious being slowly wound down.
Though I am crying as I write this, I know Magda showed us how to live
and to focus on what is important. She
is at peace now, no more quiet suffering.
Thank you for being a part of our lives…You will be missed, but gave us
so many wonderful memories that you will forever live on in our minds and in
our hearts.
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