And her soul lives on...

What a perfect afternoon & evening I had on Friday - my last day at work before
going on maternity leave.

Although I was in a bit of a rush to complete everything on my "to do" list,
my company for the rest of the afternoon, my co-worker & sistah F,
kept me sane and comforted.
Thank goodness for her and the music she kept feeding out of her computer speakers.
What could have been a chaotic afternoon was actually quite pleasant.

I finally completed my work around 7pm (yes, you read that correctly)
and F and I headed out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Caffe Venezia.
We purposely worked a little longer so that we would be hungry enough to enjoy
a proper dinner there. And I tell you, it was worth the overtime hours working
and the 1 hour wait to get seated for dinner!

EVERYTHING was equisite!

The bread...
The olive oil...
Our appetizer - Frito Misto (fried calamari, fennel and lemons)...
Even the salad dressing and my grenadine Italian soda was EXACTLY the way I liked it.
Our favorite entree - Linguine con Gamberoni (linguine with prawns) - was perfect. Seasoned just right and super flavorful.
And of course, our favorite dessert - Torta Gelato - topped off our fabulous dinner with a bang.

It was truly one of the best dinners I've had there.

Every part of my last afternoon/evening at work on Friday was perfect - good, quality time with F and excellent food to share. It was truly a blessing to feel LIFE again after 3-weeks of stressing at work to get everything done before my 4-month maternity leave. And I was even more thankful that I could spend it with my sistah F - she has been someone I have grown really close to over the past year and has truly been a God send.

Then, after dropping her off at home, I called my mom and got the news about Tita Alma - my mom's oldest sister and one of my most favorite people - she had passed on. She had fallen into a coma on Monday within minutes after her check-up in which she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Ironically, that Friday of her passing was also her birthday.

And in an instant, my beautiful afternoon made even more sense: It was Tita Alma's way of letting me celebrate life on her RE-birth. And what an appropriate way to let me celebrate - with great food and great friends...2 of my most VALUED treasures! I truly could not have asked for anything more on what could have been a horrible day. Instead of grief, I felt so much LOVE.

That night, I found 2 of the books that Tita Alma gave me a few years ago. One was about yoga and the other a tiny book written by a well-respected leader in the Brahma Kumari faith (which Tita Alma was a part of) about a better way of living, learning and loving. And in each of those books, I re-read Tita Alma's dedications/messages to me. One was about the importance of finding truth and the other was a reminder that first and foremost, we are all SOULS living within our bodies. Her messages resonated with me like a loud gong...

so honest.
so true - with no inkling of pretense or preachiness.
so affirming of my own beliefs and values.
It was EVERYTHING Tita Alma was about and how she lived her life -
and now it is the vehicle in which she passes on to her next life.

Poetic beauty - it was so overwhelming. These two humble gifts and Tita's messages are now two of my most valued treasures. Before I went to bed that night, I hugged them close to me and said a prayer of thanks to my Tita for always showing me what was important in life. As a child, she taught me to love myself and to never doubt that I would always be loved by her and my family - solid foundations that have kept me standing all of these years. And now, in adulthood, she continues to teach me the importance of deconstructing and redefining life in order to find my truths. And ultimately, to live out these truths fully, with no reservation or doubt.

Thank you, Tita Alma. You will continue to be a part of my soul, as you have always been even across the miles. Now, you are just a meditation or a prayer away. May your next life continue to transform you into the BEAUTIFUL, BRIGHT LIGHT that you are and know that you will continue to be loved and remembered by every soul you have touched in this life.

Until we meet again...

P.S. Say hi to Tita Lyn, Lola and Lolo. I bet Tita Lyn has already met her favorite artist, Elvis...and is probably enjoying x-mas dinner with him right now. ;)