Fourth in a series
Re “Officer’s Life Was Ruined, but Victim’s Life Blossomed”
[img]2948|right|Dr. Rosemary Cohen||no_popup[/img]Going back to our picnic at the beginning of my story, I was shocked, as any young person might have been, to see this unusual looking woman, Mademoiselle Marika.
We considered her old. We wondered why she had joined us, spoiling our outing.
By the end of the day, however, we had all gathered around her. From her first appearance, even though she was unable to move, she did everything we did. She participated in each one of our discussions.
An image that has remained with me throughout my life, down to this day: even if I close my eyes, I can see Mademoiselle in her chair, hands under her chin, fingers facing each other. As we started eating the sunflower seeds, she asked us to give her some. The custom was that we broke the seeds between our teeth like the birds and ate the little fruit inside it, throwing the shells onto the ground. Then we learned to break and open the shell with our fingers and put it in her mouth.
I am not sure how much Mademoiselle Marika enjoyed eating the little seeds. Her actions, though, she was like one of us. Finally, neither her age nor her health impacted us anymore. Her discussions and her knowledge were so compelling. interesting. Never did she complain or allude to her situation. Human spirit was the winner.
If I remember Mademoiselle Marika after so many years, it is because she taught me to sometimes swim against the current of the river if I am alive. She showed me that life is beautiful regardless of tragedies and unexpected accidents.
The sun rises every day gloriously. It sets, hours later, in the most beautiful color bed. The moon shines in the sky like a magic lamp. Stars twinkle. They dance around this miraculous circular face. Even if one day we won’t be able to see these glories anymore, we know that they exist. We know they are present every day and night. Birds sing beautifully. Flowers blossom regardless of our pain. Butterflies fly. They sniff the sweet perfumes of the colorful flowers.
There is also a shiny, beautiful spirit present in each of us.
Let us polish it like the Chanukah menorah (candelabra-like), light it in the manner of the Chanukah candles so the illumination can attract the eyes and the hearts of the people who surround us.
If the light is bright and warm, do we really care what the menorah) looks like?
Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen, who lives in the Fairfax District, received her Ph.D in sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris. She lived in two other countries before moving, with her husband and four children, to Los Angeles in 1984. She has published four books in America. Since 1985, she has operated Atelier de Paris, an international art business, on Robertson Boulevard. Her email address is Rosemary@atelierdeparis.com.
