Jason's Blog

Not many people know that a long while back, 3 or 4 years ago, I had a friend named Anna (Anna was her nickname, her full name was MUCH longer).  Anna was an amazing woman, a single mother at a very young age with a faith that still amazes me when I think about it today.  She prayed the rosary nearly daily – and apparently it's a different rosary, with 40 parts or something along those lines.  She was the youngest of 9 kids (from what I remember).  She played piano, and worked with kids doing music education.  She was beautiful and intelligent, spoke multiple languages, and truly cared for people in a way I've never seen since.  She even loved those who hated her – a true Christian in a world where people often only give voice to their beliefs.  Anna was overall a rare woman who truly followed in her heart Christ's ideals.

Anna, aside from being an amazing woman of faith, also had cancer – she discovered this after we'd been talking for several months.  I still remember the first time she told me, how she just babbled on for hours.  I remember her telling me how the doctors told her it was terminal, that they could only slow its progression (it was someplace in the spinal column I guess).  I encouraged her to try, to fight the cancer any way she could.  I remember her struggling with whether it was God's will to take her from this Earth, and numerous other discussions as she despaired.  I also remember how worried she was about how other people would be hurt by her leaving. 

Eventually, around this time a few years back, after talking for a year or two – I've lost track now – Anna disappeared.  Her email account was disabled, her phone no longer responded, and I was never able to find much information, other than she moved to France.  That's where she'd grown up and gone to school (my understanding was it was a Catholic school of some sort).  I don't know what happened to her, but I can only suspect the worst, as I know she was already in the hospital a few times from what her brothers had told me.  I've not heard from her for over 2 years now, and as such, I have a good guess as to what happened.  Anna was a friend to talk to, a friend who listened when I had few friends that I could talk to, a woman who encouraged me in my faith when I often struggled, a woman who followed Christ with her whole heart.  Though it's been a number of years, I miss her and still think of our conversations, and I remember her faith.  SO, this post is for her, in memory of her. 

Anna, thank you for being a true sign of Christ's love to others.  Thank you for being a friend, thank you for all that you gave unasked and unrewarded.  Thank you for being who you were.  Anna, you are in my prayers, and I hope that God is there with you, carrying you through every step of the way.  In loving memory, my prayers are with you.