Soul & Brain - 7 Olia December 2014
Like the Golden Sun that brightens our days, Sunflowers are amazing plants that have the power to lift your spirits and make you happy. My dear friend Olia loves them and She too has the power to create moments of joy for family, friends and strangers.
What is very obvious when you first meet Olia is Her smile. Like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa you are not sure if Her faint smile is one of delight or mischief. But it quickly turns into delight as She puts you at ease and makes you comfortable.
On the other hand Olia’s wit borders on the mischief side. During a last minute spontaneous lunch outing in April of this year that included my wife and Olia’s husband, I brought up a topic of an upcoming lecture “Can Money Buy Happiness” by Harvard Business School Professor Dr. Michael Norton at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory which normally presents Lectures in Quantum Physics and Cosmology.
Before I could orate on the substance of the lecture, Olia piped in with a resounding “YES, happiness is buying new shoes and a purse”. As I tried to steer the conversation towards the connection between happiness and philanthropy, Olia with a Mona Lisa smile kept needling me by insisting that it’s really all about purses and shoes. With smiles and laughter She made this lunch fun.
Before retiring, Olia worked as a Chicago Catholic and Public School teacher. Some of Her former students from years past would get in touch with Olia and express their appreciation for not just instilling in them academic knowledge, but teaching them by words and examples how to use that knowledge to succeed and seize opportunities to help others along the way. She was a prime example, by providing extra help for students that needed a little more attention.
It was hard not to like Olia. She was cheerful and charming whether it be fussing over delicious dinners for family and friends or ushering with Her Sister-In-Law theatergoers to their seats at plays and musicals or surprising her Sister with a present of a new dress. It was just fun to be around Olia.
Moments of joy are so temporary on this earth. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, Olia while cheering for Her Sister-In-Law’s husband who was running in the Chicago Marathon Race, experienced a severe headache. Two weeks later Olia was with God in Heaven.
Treatment of a headache let Doctors to discover a rampant cancer that was about to extinguish Her earthly life. God granted Her a little extra time to say good bye to those She touched with Her grace and goodness.
As my wife and I entered Her home, we were directed to the dining room where close family members and friends were gathered and heartbroken. Surrounded by Her Husband, Son, Sisters and Hospice medical people, Olia rested on a bed set up in the living room.
After a few hours, it was time for my wife and I to leave, so we quietly headed for the front door. From the corner of my eye, I saw Olia faintly wave to me. With great sorrow, I approached her and gently held Her hand. “Everyone here loves you” was all that I could whisper! Olia with a sweet smile responded “I know”!
In the middle of the night, Her Son, Sister and Husband with prayers ushered Olia to Heaven where God welcomed Olia home.
What is very obvious when you first meet Olia is Her smile. Like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa you are not sure if Her faint smile is one of delight or mischief. But it quickly turns into delight as She puts you at ease and makes you comfortable.
On the other hand Olia’s wit borders on the mischief side. During a last minute spontaneous lunch outing in April of this year that included my wife and Olia’s husband, I brought up a topic of an upcoming lecture “Can Money Buy Happiness” by Harvard Business School Professor Dr. Michael Norton at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory which normally presents Lectures in Quantum Physics and Cosmology.
Before I could orate on the substance of the lecture, Olia piped in with a resounding “YES, happiness is buying new shoes and a purse”. As I tried to steer the conversation towards the connection between happiness and philanthropy, Olia with a Mona Lisa smile kept needling me by insisting that it’s really all about purses and shoes. With smiles and laughter She made this lunch fun.
Before retiring, Olia worked as a Chicago Catholic and Public School teacher. Some of Her former students from years past would get in touch with Olia and express their appreciation for not just instilling in them academic knowledge, but teaching them by words and examples how to use that knowledge to succeed and seize opportunities to help others along the way. She was a prime example, by providing extra help for students that needed a little more attention.
It was hard not to like Olia. She was cheerful and charming whether it be fussing over delicious dinners for family and friends or ushering with Her Sister-In-Law theatergoers to their seats at plays and musicals or surprising her Sister with a present of a new dress. It was just fun to be around Olia.
Moments of joy are so temporary on this earth. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, Olia while cheering for Her Sister-In-Law’s husband who was running in the Chicago Marathon Race, experienced a severe headache. Two weeks later Olia was with God in Heaven.
Treatment of a headache let Doctors to discover a rampant cancer that was about to extinguish Her earthly life. God granted Her a little extra time to say good bye to those She touched with Her grace and goodness.
As my wife and I entered Her home, we were directed to the dining room where close family members and friends were gathered and heartbroken. Surrounded by Her Husband, Son, Sisters and Hospice medical people, Olia rested on a bed set up in the living room.
After a few hours, it was time for my wife and I to leave, so we quietly headed for the front door. From the corner of my eye, I saw Olia faintly wave to me. With great sorrow, I approached her and gently held Her hand. “Everyone here loves you” was all that I could whisper! Olia with a sweet smile responded “I know”!
In the middle of the night, Her Son, Sister and Husband with prayers ushered Olia to Heaven where God welcomed Olia home.
- Confess to me! Where did you find those charms. Every day without you makes me a prisoner of sadness. Maybe somewhere in the woods as You sought magic herbs You found the sun-gold Red Ruta Flower and put me under it's spell.
Chorus: Don't search the evenings for the Red Ruta Flower. You’re the only one for me, please believe me! For your beauty is crystal clear rushing water of the blue mountains.
- I see you in dreams. Along the forgotten paths you come to me in green fields. You don’t need to bring me the flower of hope for you already long ago entered my imaginative dreams.
Chorus: Don't search for the Red Ruta Flower in the evenings ................
Chorus: Don't search the evenings for the Red Ruta Flower. You’re the only one for me, please believe me! For your beauty is crystal clear rushing water of the blue mountains.
- I see you in dreams. Along the forgotten paths you come to me in green fields. You don’t need to bring me the flower of hope for you already long ago entered my imaginative dreams.
Chorus: Don't search for the Red Ruta Flower in the evenings ................
