In Memoriam - Alicia Salazar Carvajal 1921 - 2011

My grandmother passed away after 89 years on Jan 13th, 2011. Always laughing, witty and never still, she left us calmly and quietly, with no sickness or suffering, a few weeks after our traditional family meeting at new year's at her house. I am profoundly grateful to her as she chose to leave while I was close by. I could give my proper goodbyes and grieve next to my loved ones hours before flying back to Montreal.

I don't believe death is an ending but a simple transition. Yet, I grieve and cry for the unrepairable loss of someone deeply loved who took a big place in our lives.  Her absence reminds me that time passes, that we all age and that we reach milestones and points of no return. It also reminds me that life has to be lived by the second, and that almost everything is futile and those things that are not futile are simple, almost hidden in everyday chaos. I'll do my best to cherish the simple beauties of life. I'll do my best to remember how temporary our existence is. We must do big things with the small time we have.