Diana

Diana

          Bzzzzzz bzzzzzz....I ran down the stairs into the kitchen from my room and dashed down the hallway to see who was at the door. "Hello! Good morning!" I said cheerfully. I could see one of my students through the security camera, standing in front of the Center's door. "Miss Tami, is Miss Alexis there?" "Yes, wait just a minute, i'll go get her." Alexis came out and picked up the speaker "Yes, Ferial. What do you want?" "Miss...can I come up?...they just told us that Diana died..." Alexis and I walked down the stairs and met Ferial halfway down. She could keep silent no longer and as Alexis hugged her she burst into sobs.

          I had not felt good that morning and as I heard that Diana was dead I sat down on the stars and watched Ferial cry. How could this be? Why had it happened? Diana had been such a part of our life. Diana--a girl so full of life and smiles. She was the kind of girl who would just enter a room and it would seem like a sunbeam had been used to create her cheerful face. She was so full of energy and always ready to learn. But more than three months ago she had started having strange symptoms and had gone to several doctors and had even been admitted to a hospital for a few weeks. Why was she sick? What was wrong with her? No one knew. After being at the hospital for so long and not getting any results the family finally took her out. She seemed to get better and was able to come back to school off and on for two weeks before Christmas break. But then she got worse and worse, until the family decided to take her back to Syria and see if the doctors there could do anything for her. She left two weeks ago.

          During recess I would ask her friends how she was.  Sometimes she would be better but then get worse...the Syrian doctors couldn't find out what the problem was either. And now this news was incredibly terrible...Diana was dead.

          It is hard to come to the realization that her cheerful face will no longer be around the school to cheer our hearts. Her playfulness and energy will no longer be seen prancing the hallways or laughing with friends on the roof. You know, the longer I am here in Lebanon, the more I wish and long for a time when we will no longer have to say good bye. I long with all my heart now, for the day when we can all be reunited in Heaven and can live with the knowledge that eternity is ours and farewells are no longer in the dictionary.

          We will sorely miss Diana, but, her legacy, her cheerful spirit, her longing to not let her circumstances discourage her, her dreams for the future...all these will live on. Diana may no longer be among us to share our lives, but we can keep her memory alive in our hearts.

          This last Friday I went with Alexis to Suzanne's grave. I remember telling Alexis that Suzanne's death had taught me to live one day at a time and to learn to value every minute of life. My thoughts are again directed to this same thing. If I were to die today....or even tomorrow, will I be satisfied and content with the life that I have lived? Will I be able to look back on my life on resurrection morning and be able to be satisfied knowing that I lived my life for GOD each step of the way? Or will I be filled with remorse about how I used the precious moments that so often flee past? What if tonight was my last night? Would I use these last hours any differently? This last year is really turning into my record for tears. Will I let the hardships that are thrown in my path or in the paths of others be stumbling blocks? Or will I let each hardship and (in this case) death be a lesson for me. Will I let Suzanne's and Diana's deaths help me live life better, in a fuller, more useful way? My thoughts are directed towards Job as this year continues to have its challenges. Will I let Job, Daniel, Enoch, Joseph and so many others be my example and not let Satan's winds of destruction tear me down? Will we stand though the heavens fall? Will we trust in GOD's Word to do what it says it will do even when we may not be able to see any evidence at the present time? May GOD help all of us to not let Satan tear us down as the results of sin tear this world apart. Let us not let those who died, die in vain, but let us pick up the torch of CHRIST and run the race with endurance. 

One of the last times I saw Diana (in front in the pink shirt
and blue jacket) at our Christmas Party last month. In this picture
she had already been through three months of sickness.