For Sarika

Yesterday I learned that Sarika had passed away.

Sarika was an Indian woman I met back when I was still practicing with CS60, at a session event held in India.

She served as something of a coordinator there.

She was thoughtful, bright, and never without a smile.

Even though we had only just met, I remember how quickly we grew close.

At the time, I was about the only one on the team who could speak English freely, so we naturally found many chances to talk.

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There is one scene I still remember vividly.

It was the final day of the event.

As we said our goodbyes, Sarika embraced each participant one by one.

Perhaps it was an Indian warmth, or perhaps it was simply who she was.

Either way, the sight of it stayed with me.

And when my turn came, she held me longer and tighter than anyone.

It was a moment when I felt, not in words but in presence, the connection between two people.

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And yet, she had been battling cancer.

After three years of fighting it, she was gone.

It was so sudden that, even now, it does not feel real.

That someone so alive, so full of vitality, could be gone.

How little we truly understand about fate.

They say health is built through the accumulation of our days.

That is not wrong.

But in reality, some things cannot be explained by that alone.

No matter how honestly one lives.

No matter how kindly one treats others.

Illness sometimes strikes with senseless suddenness, and carries away the ones we love.

It almost feels as though the good are taken from us too soon.

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Was there nothing I could have done?

I found myself wondering.

But I did not even have her contact information.

There was nothing I could do.

In the end, all I can do now is remember her, give thanks, and pray.

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They say a life is not measured by its length.

Even so, Sarika's death feels far too early.

I wanted her to live on, to keep making so many people smile.

She had exactly that kind of charm.

And that is why it grieves me so.

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For now, I only hope she has been released from the suffering of her illness.

And that, just as in those days we shared together in India,

brightly,

cheerfully,

making so many people laugh,

she is smiling somewhere still.

Sarika.

Our time was short, but I am truly glad to have met you.

Quietly, I pray that you are at peace.