An etherealgirl's Adventures in Cyberland

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Marla, Rachel, John Paul and the human spirit

I've had nothing less than a complete loss of words over the death of Marla Ruzicka.

Along with the passing of Pope John Paul II and the anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie in the last few weeks, I have been unable to adequately bring myself to commemorate much or to speak much about them. For me personally, the times we live in have shaken me to the core, much more than I could ever have imagined. No doubt, I'm having my own personal issues right now that makes some tragedies, and passings really hard to deal with. My own painful wrestling with the Church of my upbringing and the senselessness of the deaths of the best and the bravest among us have just been more than I've wanted to deal with, at least publicly. The Rachel Corries and the Marla Ruzickas of the world (and for that matter, the charisma and goodheartedness of a John Paul - though I absolutely thought he was dead wrong on many issues ~ but I just cannot go there right now) are losses that are especially painful right now. We need that kind of courage and openheartedness now, more than ever before. That kind of courage fails me, I fear. I wonder what it is that creates someone like Marla Ruzicka. How does one find that kind of inner strength and determination to face anything, no matter what the cost might be?

Just another precious casualty, another devastating loss in an unjustifiable war; no more precious than the thousands of lives lost on all sides of this horrific unspeakable mess, and no less; but her childlike vulnerability and angelic-looking appearance which belied her incredible courage and tenacity in the face of something so completely demoralizing and defeating made her stand out a bit more. She wasn't even supposed to be there at the time it happened. But she decided to stay on and that is where she will forever remain; her work for justice is the legacy she leaves behind.

Found at GNN, Raed Jarrer remembers Marla.

Posted by etherealfire :: 11:39 PM :: 0 Comments:

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