The Power of Love
The Power of Love
My sister died of breast cancer thirteen years ago, leaving a six-year old daughter at the time. After several years, her father remarried and decided to return to his native country. My niece ending up moving away and living abroad since she was nine years old. Over the years, I have managed to stay in touch with her and every year on her birthday I call her.
This year she turned nineteen, and we were able talk through Skype, which is a way of talking via the internet. It’s amazing, really, and we ended up talking across the globe for 2 1/2 hours. I was sitting at my dining table in San Francisco, and she was sitting in her dorm room in college, in Jordan, studying for a chemistry test. At one point, she turned on the camera that was hooked up to her computer, and I could see her.
It was a strange moment. I could see her. The shape and color of her hair, her smile, her laughter, her hands moving across her face as she straightened her glasses. She had a striking resemblance to our side of the family. At one point, she even stood up and I could see her form and figure. It was incredible. I could almost reach out and touch her.
Seeing her image only intensified our conversation, and brought her even more to life for me. On one hand, speaking with her was poignant, and afterward I couldn’t help but remember the sadness and loss of my sister’s tragic death. It was an event that shook my world forever, and of course, changed the course of my niece’s life forever. Loss is an integral part of the human of condition, and yet it always leaves me feeling vulnerable. My father once said, “Be grateful you can have such feelings of loss, because it means you loved deeply.”
When I finally said goodbye to my niece, my heart was overflowing with love. We were able to talk about so many things, her challenges with college, the loss of her mother, her traveling experiences, and the need for faith and hope in life. I realized, once again, that love is the strongest positive force between people. It transcends loss, and fear, and wraps our vulnerability in strength and courage.