Photo by Alejandra Chaverri |
A Thousand Cranes
I have been here many times, Stanford Hospital.
So often the ground floor atrium offered serenity
The grand piano sits there without a player.
It calls on me to make beautiful music.
My twin daughters with cystc fibrosis
Haunted by their impending death.
Crossing a turbulent river trying to reach the other side,
Two choices: drown or reach the other shore.
The piano took me away from the pessimism.
“Pathetique” by Beethoven gave me courage.
Only through music,
Forget my fatigue, despair, frustration.
Sacred chorales foster my resilience.
You are not the only one who has gone through hardship.
Generations and generations of the human race have experienced this.
Music transformed my despair to hope, hope to resilience, and resilience to surrender.
At the other side of the shore a thousand colorful cranes flew to me
Prayers for their survival from all over the world.
I have become the luckiest mother in the world.
Ana, her transplant in June 2000, and Isa joined her in February 2004.
Yet, I grieve the sudden deaths of their donors.
My grief was shifted to joy by others who never imagined their loss.
No words can express our gratitude for the gifts of the donor families.
When the end finally comes to my daughters,
I will surrender to our destiny with grace and dignity.
Until their destiny takes them away,
I will celebrate and enjoy every moment with joy, peace,
And appreciation for my experience, which has carried me to my maturity.
Hatsuko Arima Stenzel
2004
Perspective
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