For the past couple of hours my head has been spinning and I have been in disbelief that one of my first friends I made in college was called home to be with God. My heart aches knowing that my dear Wandra is not with me in physical form but I know her spirit is here always.

Reuters Story: Obama's grandmother dies of cancer in Hawaii

Picture from Reuters

All of us at some point of our lives we have all felt there are some things that are not worth living for. We have our highs and lows which is a part of life.

Yesterday, I read about a young man named, Shakir Stewart, who committed suicide. To my surprise, he was at Morehouse College the same time that I was at Spelman College. I did not know him but it has been surprising and hurtful for me to see and listen to people that I care about cry over this lovely young man's spirit.

After a 3 hour online celebration on Shakir's life there was not much I could say because everyone was so eloquent and supportive of his legacy. I did not know him but my friend's honoring his memory was a healing process for them and an eye opener for me.

Shakir Stewart - Celebration of his life hosted by James Andrews/TheKeyInfluencer
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thekeyinfluencer/2008/11/03/Celebrate-Shakir-Shake-Stewart

We will all heal from this devastating news but I hope that if you are hurting that you reach out to someone and just talk if you can.

That is what I have found from my blog. Even if no one reads or responds I am thankful that at least that weigh is off of me and I can move on. I blog anonymously for various reasons. I don't mind sharing my pictures but when you have a lot of *stuff* in your head and life experiences that makes you mad, you don't want everyone googling you to find out more and more of who you maybe. That is why with me at least having some anonymity has helped me feel freer in sharing what I want to share but sometimes at times like this I have to share stories that hit close to home to get the word out to others who may be unaware that life really isn't a crystal stair for most of us. It's hard!

All of us are always in between stages of adapting and having a balance with our lives. I know that having all the money in the world is not the root to happiness. I want security to do the things that I want and the freedom to travel when I want to. I don't ask for much but for God's blessings. My main concern is having a relationship with God and knowing that I do what is necessary to be in his kingdom. That is why I try to be very respectful to any of you who may want to talk to me privately because I know God gives me that heart and sensitivity to listen when I can. 

This is what I learned tonight about Shakir that he was a humble servant and that he was very generous to those around him. I hope that during this time that his family is given all the support that they need and that their friends will come and support his family. Even though I did not know Shakir but since he is part of my SpelHosue family, I definitely want to see his legacy remembered . I will do what I can to help his friends preserve that history.

Obituary in Variety
Def Jam's Shakir Stewart Dies at 34

When I read this article, it reminded me of a story I read a few years ago about body parts that were being sold from a funeral parlor. See here -> Funeral Homes Sold Body Parts in "Ghastly Case" - LiveScience

Reading this article below INTENSIFIED my wish to be cremated. I wish my driver's license or passport would state, "please CREMATE if found dead." Ugh.

(Reuters) Philadelphia undertakers admit selling corpses

(barfing barfing -- need some tums for my tummy!!)

Behnaz Soultani

How how how do we fight this disease that is killing so many?

How do we spread the word for our women to check their breasts monthly?

I cannot sit back and see more of my friends die from this disease.

Yesterday, I found out my classmate from law school died from breast cancer. She was only 38 years old.

I wish the number was inversed and she had 8 decades of life.

8 decades of experiencing life on this planet as a survivor of the Iraqi Air Raid and a marriage of over 50 years.

She had recently married in 2006 and was made partner in a local law firm in Iowa where she lived.

6 decades living as a blind individual sharing her stories of going from seeing clearly to having no vision at all.

It really pains me that she died too young.

However, there is joy for me to share with her being my inspiration to continue law school (I thought about leaving school and never returning after my first year) and to know that despite the odds anything is possible. She made me laugh, smile and be full of hope at times when I was at despair. She even shared with me her stories of having to deal with the law school administration who doubted her abilities but she more than rose to the occasion where she graduated with distinction from law school and spoke more than 3 languages.

She was a doer and not someone who wanted you to feel sorry for her for she always pushed herself and she excelled.

She was my hero.

My prayers are for her family to celebrate her life and know she was celebrated by so many.

Behnaz Soulati - A Life Well Lived (1969-2008)

Obituary - Behnaz-Soulati

Other Articles on her - Behnaz Soulati

NYTimes.com - Tools for Blind Students

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