From my amazing Sister: When Christian passed away on Saturday, May 26th, 2012, I was over 8000 miles away in Moshi, Tanzania. I was there for work; preparing and waiting for the arrival of fourteen Cornell University undergraduate students whom were participating in a global health summer course and program that I help to facilitate and teach at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University – College. Moshi is a lovely town situated at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. During the rainy season, some like to call it the “shy” mountain as it becomes hidden among thick clouds and days will pass before one might glimpse its breathtaking snow covered peak. Written with love and in honor of Christian Moseley Bryant By: Jeanne Moseley Tuesday, May 29, 2012 She is our Light. She comes in light to this earthly world, as a baby with smooth skin, golden hair and the bluest of eyes. She illuminates our lives and opens our hearts to love, joy, and laughter unknown. She grows from a baby into a beautiful young woman. She loves. She dreams. She keenly observes the world all around her. The light of her inner spirit shines with beauty and hope, touching us all in ways not yet known. Her grace and deep faith are transcending. She teaches us what it means to embody peace and love for one another. She is our inspiration. With great courage, she runs the longest and most difficult race of her earthly life. A race no one should ever have to run. Prayers full of hope and great longing for healing are lifted up to the heavens. Hearts despair and grow weary from the witness of such great suffering. Prayers full of begging and pleading, “Dear God, please, how can this be?” There are no words. We cannot understand. She is our light, our illuminating light. Across the oceans, the skies begin to open, revealing the beauty of a majestic mountain* top formed by the transformative touch of our Creator. Spectacular light from the heavens pour down upon the snowy peak. Distance thoughts, prayers and hearts are connected. The clouds are moving and opening. Is it the wind? Or is it the whispering of angels and the beating of their wings as they prepare to welcome the spirit of our beloved one? She is being invited to embrace a perfect eternal healing. Her earthly suffering is being released. She too is becoming part of this heavenly and transformative light. Now even in these dark moments, when we yearn to hold her, to hear her voice speak to us, to look into those blue eyes and touch her lovely delicate hands, she comes to us in a different light. A light even brighter than when she first entered our lives. Because our eyes are human and are blurred with our great sorrow, we may not yet be able to see her beautiful heavenly light shining down among us. Yet, it does shine upon us like a million gleaming stars. May we feel her light. May we let our hearts become full of her love. May we honor her and become lights of peace and God’s grace in this world too. And may we make Christian proud, by how we touch the lives of others and strive to make this world a better place for all to live. *On Tuesday, May 29th, 2012, I wrote the poem above to express my love for and to honor the “light” of my beautiful and treasured niece, Christian Moseley Bryant. In the poem, I reference a majestic mountain. In case, Robyn and Chris decide to share what I have written with others, I thought it might be helpful for me to explain this reference. When Christian passed away on Saturday, May 26th, 2012, I was over 8000 miles away in Moshi, Tanzania. I was there for work; preparing and waiting for the arrival of fourteen Cornell University undergraduate students whom were participating in a global health summer course and program that I help to facilitate and teach at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University – College. Moshi is a lovely town situated at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. During the rainy season, some like to call it the “shy” mountain as it becomes hidden among thick clouds and days will pass before one might glimpse its breathtaking snow covered peak. On Saturday afternoon (Tanzania time, 7 hours ahead of the EST), as I walked the streets of Moshi, the clouds began to break and the sky turned a brilliant blue. It had been a long day and my heart had begun to feel heavy with concern for Christian and my family. I made my way back to my hotel. I wanted to find a quite place to sit, to be still, to pray and to watch the mountain at sunset. Thus, I climbed to a high verandah and did so. My body grew still. My eyes focused on the beauty of the mountain as it became bathed in ever-changing colors and light. Below the peak, the clouds were moving, as if dancing silently in celebration of the great beauty above. As I soaked in this wonder of nature, I prayed so hard for Christian’s healing that I thought my heart might burst open. I also prayed that Robyn, Chris and Bailey might be filled with great strength, courage, and peace. The sky faded to gray and the mountain became only a silhouette against the coming night. I returned to my room, gathered my phone and work materials and went downstairs. Within ten minutes of leaving the verandah, my phone rang. There is no need to recount that conversation. One day later, as I sat on a plane for many hours and travelled those many miles back to my family, I reflected upon the time spent on that verandah. I began to think about what must have been happening in that hospital room in Chattanooga and how at the very same time in Moshi every fiber in my being was calling me to pause, to pray, to be still, and to reach out across the distance to those I so deeply love. I know that my concern, love and prayers for Christian, Robyn, Chris and Bailey were interwoven with the love and prayers of so many on that day. Perhaps, these mysteries - those key moments in our lives when our human interconnectedness and love for one another transcend time, distance and understanding – provide us with a glimpse of God’s grace?
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 02:11:12 +0000
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