A
Tribute to Serenity
Some
of us are known by our multiple traits.
Others by only one. Dottie Hussain stands
out in my memory as serenity personified.
I remember the very first time that
I saw her and how struck I was; by her
almost perfect face, her translucent
skin and most of all her demeanor. She
carried herself with a grace that was
regal. And with the dapper good looks
of Amjad, they were quite the couple.
My mother said so aptly: “the
couple always emanated peace and love”.
Friends and family had traveled from
across the nation for her surprise 60th
birthday a couple years ago. Colleagues
from her early years of work were there
too.
And it is not really her death, but
that of all who mourn her. The one who
dies is delivered, the survivors must
deal with the endless taskmaster this
life can be.
That cancer, that terrible thief, could
take her from our midst at such a young
age is numbing to me. And yet as her
life was a fulfilled and productive
one, her passage to the other world
can be called a “quality death”.
She had Thanksgiving dinner with her
family and as the angry scourge took
a hold of her body, hospice rose to
the occasion and managed her pain seamlessly.
As the disease got angrier, she guessed
that Christmas would not be celebrated
in the flesh. The oldest son Waqar works
in London and was to arrive at 6:30pm.
She knew her time was near. In and out
of consciousness, she kept verifying
the time. He came and she hugged all
the family. And then with the serenity
that typified her life, she showed us
that one can waltz into the next one
with amazing grace.
With love and a heavy heart,
Mahjabeen Islam
