Remember to be well! ^..^
This is the last line Barbara Beacham wrote in her blog ‘Life in the Foothills’, before cancer took her away from us.
The lady was one of my first blog friends when I started blogging in January last year. Time constraints did not allow me to write long posts so I thought of taking up some 100-150 words story challenges. And then I came across ‘Mondays Finish the Story’ and her highly creative hostess Barbara Beacham. It was a fun challenge and helped me overcome my writer’s block. She ran two blogs – first was ‘Life in the Foothills’ and second, ‘Mondays Finish the Story’.
I would look forward to the story challenges every Monday and would peep at posts of other story writers and wonder at their creativity. I learnt a lot in the whole process. With time, I developed a strange kinship with the lady… I admired her story telling skills and loved it when she wrote ‘Be Well’ at the end of each comment.
What I didn’t know was that she herself needed the wish more than anyone else as she was battling cancer all this while. She did reveal to us about her illness at a later stage and expressed the hope that she will strike back…
One morning there was no ‘Mondays Finish the Story’ challenge in my inbox. I asked Priceless Joy… she sounded hopeful that BB may strike back but I think we both knew that her end was near!
She could not make it. With a heavy heart I accepted the fact that I will no longer look forward to Mondays as I did since last year.
There will no more be ‘Mondays Finish the Story’ from now on… The only thing is…it was too abrupt an end for me.
What I admire is the fact that cancer couldn’t defeat her optimism and creativity… She wrote and encouraged us to write wonderful stories till the very end. She showed rare courage and wisdom all this while! I miss Barbara. I miss the challenge.
One thing I know for sure – I had grown to love her. Be well Barbara, wherever you are!
This post is written in memory of Barbara Beacham – FfAW-Special Challenge for Barbara Beacham – hosted by Priceless Joy. To read other entries please click here.
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There comes a moment in life…when you suddenly need to be a parent…to a different set of kids – Your Own Parents. Challenging, Heartbreaking and life changing! You cannot afford to be a carefree kid anymore. You have to really grow up and stand tall…at once…maybe overnight. Your carefree self observes from a distance as the cloak of maturity chooses to fall on you. You change at that moment. Forever.
