A Life

As a follow-up to my previous post, I learned today, as I was at the final rest stop of the course I rode in the LiveStrong Challenge, that my friend and fellow church member Holly passed away at 4:15am this morning, after a months-long battle with cancer. I had been riding "in honor of" Holly before; now I rode the last nine miles "in memory of" Holly. I am grateful that she is no longer suffering and that she slipped away quickly in the end.

I didn't know Holly well but every conversation I had with her was interesting. She was in her late 50s and was tremendously independent and self-sufficient, and was always very matter-of-fact in her outlook and reactions. She never married or had children. She was a scientist at the Smithsonian, studying flies. How interesting is that? Holly was very outdoorsy and loved cycling--in fact, she used to ride to and fromwork every day. I was hopeful at one time that she would be well enough to ride with us today as a cancer survivor.

When Holly learned earlier this summer that her death was on the near horizon, she said she wanted to go see the glaciers and wildlife in Denali National Park in Alaska. She felt horrible the entire trip and had to go directly from the airport to the hospital on her return, but she went (thanks to the extreme selflessness and generosity of another friend, Suzanne).

Godspeed in the next stage of your journey through eternity, Holly. Today's ride was for you.