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No Perfect Rose
She had always been decisive and nothing could stop her. She had everything one can only wish for – a beauty that made one envious of her, brain that made complex tasks seem simple, and an infectious laughter. It really made one envious of her.
As I reflect on our friendship, I truly realize that she was one of the most selfless people I know. She had been nothing but perfect in everything. That perfection made one who was angry at her to give up. I mean what are you angry about? Her voice alone could melt your anger, not to mention that mesmerizing smile of hers. It’s not an exaggeration to say that her voice could calm the storms in your life, or that her smile can make a thousand hearts flip.
She was often referred to as the ever-beautiful “Perfect rose”. When you see her, the first thing you would notice is her ever-shinning, breathtaking smile, and then her sparkling eyes that felt as if they could give life even to the dead. Amongst everything she had and could have, she only wanted to be able to share her view of the world with others. She wanted everyone to see how beautiful the world was in her eyes.
I told her numerous times that life was not always a bed of roses, but she’d say that the thorn makes it more precious: all we have to do is look past the thorns and appreciate the beauty of the roses. She had always been a person who could see the positive side of all things. She was like a light that could absorb any darkness around her. I’ve been her best friend for over 16 years, and I’ve never seen her cry. It was as if the only emotions she had were the positive ones, and she was supposed to be like that till the end of time. If only it were like that.
Seven months ago, she was rushed into the hospital, and following that she was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. The first time was when she was 16, She had undergone Radiation and Stem cell transplant. Seven years later, she’d been diagnosed with Acute myelogenous leukemia. She had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
I stayed with her in the hospital, hoping to provide her with some comfort. It hurt me whenever I turned to see her bright eyes shimmering with a fluid that I came to realize could also be produced by her. Her pillows were wet in a way I had never seen. Even when she smiled, it looked like she was mocking herself, for the once enviable beauty is being pitied by all.
I could do nothing but watch her fade slowly, like flowers lacking essential nutrients. But even in the face of death, her courageous spirit, though wavering, refused to leave her.
However, that night still came into existence – a night that shall always haunt my memories. It was the night she finally opened up to me. She’d cried in my arms and prayed in her weakest state. Her prayer was one of the most heartbreaking ones I’ve ever heard. She had cried and said: “Dear Lord, take away this beauty I have, I don’t need it. Take away the possessions I acquired, I don’t even need the fame nor the luxury. Just leave my smile. I need it to survive. It encourages not just me but everyone around me. It is the only thing I need to accomplish my dream”.
After her prayer, she turned to me with tears in her eyes as she smiled and said; “You are right; life is not a bed of roses. There are thorns in it, waiting to prick anyone who touches it. But I would move forward to those roses. While watching the thorns, I would focus on the roses. Even with its thorns, the roses are very fragile, and whether you spend your time focusing on the roses, or on the thorns, they would eventually wither away.”
A few hours after our discussion, the doctors came out with the most unbelievable news that I’d ever heard. I entered her room, and there she lay, wearing the most beautiful and perfect smile that I have ever seen her with. How could her smile be that perfect when she was dead? I realized there was no perfect rose, as all had thorns, just as there was no perfect person or life as all have time is troubles.
I write this today to share the view that she had of the world. Why focus on the hardships of life She had always been decisive and nothing could stop her. She had everything one can only wish for – a beauty that made one envious of her, brain that made complex tasks seem simple, and an infectious laughter. It really made one envious of her.
As I reflect on our friendship, I truly realize that she was one of the most selfless people I know. She had been nothing but perfect in everything. That perfection made one who was angry at her to give up. I mean what are you angry about? Her voice alone could melt your anger, not to mention that mesmerizing smile of hers. It’s not an exaggeration to say that her voice could calm the storms in your life, or that her smile can make a thousand hearts flip.
She was often referred to as the ever-beautiful “Perfect rose”. When you see her, the first thing you notice is her ever-shinning, breathtaking smile, and then her sparkling eyes that feel as if they could give life even to the dead. Amongst everything she had and could have, she only wanted to be able to share her view of the world with others. She wanted everyone to see how beautiful the world was in her eyes.
I told her numerous times that life was not always a bed of roses, but she’d say that the thorn makes it more precious: all we have to do is look past the thorns and appreciate the beauty of the roses. She had always been a person who could see the positive side of all things. She was like a light that could absorb any darkness around her. I’ve been her best friend for over 16 years, and I’ve never seen her cry. It was as if the only emotions she had were the positive ones, and she was supposed to be like that till the end of time. If only it were like that.
Seven months ago, she was rushed into the hospital, and following that she was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. The first time was when she was 16, She had undergone Radiation and Stem cell transplant. Seven years later, she’d been diagnosed with Acute myelogenous leukemia. She had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
I stayed with her in the hospital, hoping to provide her with some comfort. It hurt me whenever I turned to see her bright eyes shimmering with a fluid that I came to realize could also be produced by her. Her pillows were wet in a way I had never seen. Even when she smiled, it looked like she was mocking herself, for the once enviable beauty is being pitied by all.
I could do nothing but watch her fade slowly, like flowers lacking essential nutrients. But even in the face of death, her courageous spirit, though wavering, refused to leave her.
However, that night still came into existence – a night that shall always haunt my memories. It was the night she finally opened up to me. She’d cried in my arms and prayed in her weakest state. Her prayer was one of the most heartbreaking ones I’ve ever heard. She had cried and said: “Dear Lord, take away this beauty I have, I don’t need it. Take away the possessions I acquired, I don’t even need the fame nor the luxury. Just leave my smile. I need it to survive. It encourages not just me but everyone around me. It is the only thing I need to accomplish my dream”.
After her prayer, she turned to me with tears in her eyes as she smiled and said; “You are right; life is not a bed of roses. There are thorns in it, waiting to prick anyone who touches it. But I would move forward to those roses. While watching the thorns, I would focus on the roses. Even with its thorns, the roses are very fragile, and whether you spend your time focusing on the roses, or on the thorns, they would eventually wither away.”
A few hours after our discussion, the doctors came out with the most unbelievable news that I’d ever heard. I walked into her room, and there she lay, wearing the most beautiful and perfect smile that I had ever seen her with. How could her smile be that perfect when she was dead? I realized there was no perfect rose, as all had thorns, just as there was no perfect person or life as all have time is troubles.
I write this today to share the view that she had of the world. Why focus on the hardships of life instead of the beauty? Life fades away. Whether we spend time worrying about the thorns or appreciating the beauty of the roses, it eventually withers away.
“If a rose is full of thorns, it does not mean that it’s not full of beauty” – Matshona Dhliwayo
© All Rights Reserved
As I reflect on our friendship, I truly realize that she was one of the most selfless people I know. She had been nothing but perfect in everything. That perfection made one who was angry at her to give up. I mean what are you angry about? Her voice alone could melt your anger, not to mention that mesmerizing smile of hers. It’s not an exaggeration to say that her voice could calm the storms in your life, or that her smile can make a thousand hearts flip.
She was often referred to as the ever-beautiful “Perfect rose”. When you see her, the first thing you would notice is her ever-shinning, breathtaking smile, and then her sparkling eyes that felt as if they could give life even to the dead. Amongst everything she had and could have, she only wanted to be able to share her view of the world with others. She wanted everyone to see how beautiful the world was in her eyes.
I told her numerous times that life was not always a bed of roses, but she’d say that the thorn makes it more precious: all we have to do is look past the thorns and appreciate the beauty of the roses. She had always been a person who could see the positive side of all things. She was like a light that could absorb any darkness around her. I’ve been her best friend for over 16 years, and I’ve never seen her cry. It was as if the only emotions she had were the positive ones, and she was supposed to be like that till the end of time. If only it were like that.
Seven months ago, she was rushed into the hospital, and following that she was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. The first time was when she was 16, She had undergone Radiation and Stem cell transplant. Seven years later, she’d been diagnosed with Acute myelogenous leukemia. She had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
I stayed with her in the hospital, hoping to provide her with some comfort. It hurt me whenever I turned to see her bright eyes shimmering with a fluid that I came to realize could also be produced by her. Her pillows were wet in a way I had never seen. Even when she smiled, it looked like she was mocking herself, for the once enviable beauty is being pitied by all.
I could do nothing but watch her fade slowly, like flowers lacking essential nutrients. But even in the face of death, her courageous spirit, though wavering, refused to leave her.
However, that night still came into existence – a night that shall always haunt my memories. It was the night she finally opened up to me. She’d cried in my arms and prayed in her weakest state. Her prayer was one of the most heartbreaking ones I’ve ever heard. She had cried and said: “Dear Lord, take away this beauty I have, I don’t need it. Take away the possessions I acquired, I don’t even need the fame nor the luxury. Just leave my smile. I need it to survive. It encourages not just me but everyone around me. It is the only thing I need to accomplish my dream”.
After her prayer, she turned to me with tears in her eyes as she smiled and said; “You are right; life is not a bed of roses. There are thorns in it, waiting to prick anyone who touches it. But I would move forward to those roses. While watching the thorns, I would focus on the roses. Even with its thorns, the roses are very fragile, and whether you spend your time focusing on the roses, or on the thorns, they would eventually wither away.”
A few hours after our discussion, the doctors came out with the most unbelievable news that I’d ever heard. I entered her room, and there she lay, wearing the most beautiful and perfect smile that I have ever seen her with. How could her smile be that perfect when she was dead? I realized there was no perfect rose, as all had thorns, just as there was no perfect person or life as all have time is troubles.
I write this today to share the view that she had of the world. Why focus on the hardships of life She had always been decisive and nothing could stop her. She had everything one can only wish for – a beauty that made one envious of her, brain that made complex tasks seem simple, and an infectious laughter. It really made one envious of her.
As I reflect on our friendship, I truly realize that she was one of the most selfless people I know. She had been nothing but perfect in everything. That perfection made one who was angry at her to give up. I mean what are you angry about? Her voice alone could melt your anger, not to mention that mesmerizing smile of hers. It’s not an exaggeration to say that her voice could calm the storms in your life, or that her smile can make a thousand hearts flip.
She was often referred to as the ever-beautiful “Perfect rose”. When you see her, the first thing you notice is her ever-shinning, breathtaking smile, and then her sparkling eyes that feel as if they could give life even to the dead. Amongst everything she had and could have, she only wanted to be able to share her view of the world with others. She wanted everyone to see how beautiful the world was in her eyes.
I told her numerous times that life was not always a bed of roses, but she’d say that the thorn makes it more precious: all we have to do is look past the thorns and appreciate the beauty of the roses. She had always been a person who could see the positive side of all things. She was like a light that could absorb any darkness around her. I’ve been her best friend for over 16 years, and I’ve never seen her cry. It was as if the only emotions she had were the positive ones, and she was supposed to be like that till the end of time. If only it were like that.
Seven months ago, she was rushed into the hospital, and following that she was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. The first time was when she was 16, She had undergone Radiation and Stem cell transplant. Seven years later, she’d been diagnosed with Acute myelogenous leukemia. She had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
I stayed with her in the hospital, hoping to provide her with some comfort. It hurt me whenever I turned to see her bright eyes shimmering with a fluid that I came to realize could also be produced by her. Her pillows were wet in a way I had never seen. Even when she smiled, it looked like she was mocking herself, for the once enviable beauty is being pitied by all.
I could do nothing but watch her fade slowly, like flowers lacking essential nutrients. But even in the face of death, her courageous spirit, though wavering, refused to leave her.
However, that night still came into existence – a night that shall always haunt my memories. It was the night she finally opened up to me. She’d cried in my arms and prayed in her weakest state. Her prayer was one of the most heartbreaking ones I’ve ever heard. She had cried and said: “Dear Lord, take away this beauty I have, I don’t need it. Take away the possessions I acquired, I don’t even need the fame nor the luxury. Just leave my smile. I need it to survive. It encourages not just me but everyone around me. It is the only thing I need to accomplish my dream”.
After her prayer, she turned to me with tears in her eyes as she smiled and said; “You are right; life is not a bed of roses. There are thorns in it, waiting to prick anyone who touches it. But I would move forward to those roses. While watching the thorns, I would focus on the roses. Even with its thorns, the roses are very fragile, and whether you spend your time focusing on the roses, or on the thorns, they would eventually wither away.”
A few hours after our discussion, the doctors came out with the most unbelievable news that I’d ever heard. I walked into her room, and there she lay, wearing the most beautiful and perfect smile that I had ever seen her with. How could her smile be that perfect when she was dead? I realized there was no perfect rose, as all had thorns, just as there was no perfect person or life as all have time is troubles.
I write this today to share the view that she had of the world. Why focus on the hardships of life instead of the beauty? Life fades away. Whether we spend time worrying about the thorns or appreciating the beauty of the roses, it eventually withers away.
“If a rose is full of thorns, it does not mean that it’s not full of beauty” – Matshona Dhliwayo
© All Rights Reserved
