Moving forward

She would have been 49 today.

My youngest sister was born on this day, June 4. Like parents, when you're the older sibling, it seems unthinkable for the younger one to pass on before you. But that is not set in stone. Sometimes, the younger ones leave ahead because their purpose on this earth is done.

I prefer to think of it that way.

While her death was not tragic, it still came as a shock. She suffered a stroke some years back, was a diabetic, yet left it all to fate. She believed - perhaps prayed even - that her passing would be swift. She did not want to be an inconvenience, to live as an invalid and have family take care of her.

It will be five years since her passing. But the grief still grips me. I am thinking the pandemic and the close to two years of lockdowns would not have sat well with her. She was not one to be confined in close quarters for an extended period of time. She thrived in adventure. But with her comorbidities, she would not have been allowed out.

And so maybe, God spared her from that. For certain, she would have been gallivanting in heaven while we were all cooped in the house, growing weary of seeing the same faces every single day for most of our waking moments, and knowing you'd be doing the same thing again the next day.

So, while I missed her presence (she would've been a much better housemate because she pulled her own weight), I was comforted by the fact that she did not have to go through this ordeal. Or, that we did not have to be thrown in panic if she suffered that massive stroke at the height of the pandemic and we could not be with her in those last three days of her life.

One thing I really miss about my sister are her HUGS. Whether it was your birthday (or hers) or Christmas or some special occasion and she would give you one, it was always a bear hug - full on, tight, and with so much emotion. Throw in a shake of the booty, too!

So, I will imagine giving her a big bear hug today because it is her natal day and that it is equal to what she always gave me.

Happy birthday in heaven, sister!

It feels like months since I last posted an article here. Well... it was a month ago and I haven't gone that long without writing something since joining the platform.

A lot just happened within that time frame and I seem to have lost my mojo for writing. Sure, it would've been easy to sit in front of the PC and type words, but if there's one thing I know about myself, I hate writing for the sake of churning something out because the result often has no heart. Or if it did, it would be so dark and depressing.

I wanted to write something to uplift me, and in turn, inspire others.

I think of it as a superhero moment of realization, when they (superheroes) realize they cannot just keep fighting all the evil in this world because it can be so exhausting (and it seems like a never-ending battle) and the answer really is to inspire others to do good and do what is right, which will contribute to the fight against evil.

There's a line delivered by Lena Luthor to Kara Danvers a.k.a. Supergirl (from the CW series Supergirl) that goes: "You shine the light to inspire others to shine theirs, too."

Wickedness today has taken on a new form. It does not necessarily have to be physical, but it is insidious. It slowly creeps into your consciousness and being. Before you know it, or even realize it, you have been harmed.

Yes, all this connectivity through technology is good. But it is also being used as a tool for evil. How do we fight the lies, the misinformation, and disinformation that is being spread online, especially via social media?

By using technology for good. Yes, it will always be a battle between GOOD and EVIL. And although it may be true that it is far easier to be bad than be good (I heard that the first time from my niece when she was around 4 or 5 years old), I continue to have hope in humanity.

And while it will be an uphill battle, I believe that if we spread more good, more positivity, and more inspiration, those dark, evil forces will eventually succumb.

My mission now is to find the good, share it or pass it on. And to do good. But that's not always necessarily to be shared here.

I don't particularly like the term 'moving on' because it means not holding people accountable for wrongdoing, or even acknowledging there was bad done to another.

But I will embrace 'moving forward' which is me choosing to live my life in ways that will be productive, decent, respectful, and with dignity, and that gives back by paying it forward.

Images from Unsplash