Doing life – eternally

My friend Monique Mahima moved on to the next stage of her eternal journey last week.  I shed a few tears, but I also feel this sense of peace, knowing that she did the work that we are all called to do, but which not many actually accomplish.  She went within, looked for meaning, and then perhaps found that there is no meaning – life just IS.

All who connected with Monique were inspired by her vim, spirit, candour, energy and heart – even as she went through years of treatment, hope, disappointment and then acceptance.   Her simple declaration “Monique Mahima is doing life” meant so much to me.  For how often do we really DO LIFE?  How often do we live, participate, engross ourselves in whatever situation we are in with all our presence, attention and power?  that is what “doing life” is all about.  Monique is “doing life” now on a different plane.

Here is a post I had done a few months ago of a conversation she and I had, and her own reflections – “Doing Life Cancer Positive”

And here are her final two Facebook posts:

Monique Mahima is doing Life while taking a step back for a while. Although support from, and well-wishing by, her FB community has been of inestimable value, it has been necessary to take quiet solace to study and process and understand all that Life has meant. Therefore, sometime within the next 24 hrs, this account will be (at least temporarily) deactivated. Thank you for honoring this decision, and this space.

And then, 9 days later:

‎”One needs occasionally to stand aside from the hum and rush of human interests and passions to hear the voices of God,” everywhere, and in everything – Anna Julia Cooper

Live on Monique. Live on.