In Loving Memory

This has been an extremely hard week. One of my dearest friends, Dr. Hanna Binder was in a fatal car accident. They say she died instantly. She was on her way for a camping weekend with her daughter Maia. Her wind surf board was on the top of the Honda Element. Maia was driving. It is all so very shocking. Maia was bruised but was released from the hospital right away. My heart aches for the bruises that she now suffers in her soul at the loss of her mommy.

I have spent the week reflecting on Hanna's life and what she meant to me personally. I still can't get over it. The funeral on Saturday will probably help to bring that closure to all of us who loved her so dearly.

I met Hanna at the Riverside Yoga studio about eight years ago where Rhonda held classes at her home on the river. Those were the days!!! A group of us in the yoga sisterhood decided to start a book club and so I was guaranteed to see Hanna outside of class at least once a month - that is if she wasn't in some remote corner of the world traveling with Maia.

I loved how Hanna said my name, "Leenda". She was Polish. Apparently, I do a good impersonation of her. She was often found saying, "Leenda, have you read this booooook?" She was an avid reader. Her taste in reading didn't always match mine but we found ourselves reading all sorts of interesting things because of Hanna's influence. The Chicklits have certainly enjoyed Hanna's presence at all of our meetings and we are going to miss her more than words can say.

In 2005 Hanna, who is a gastroenterologist specialist, donated her time and expertise to join Bob and me and a team from our church to work in Vietnam for two weeks at one of our medical clinics. This picture was taken at China Beach. I am on the other side of the tree but it was a ghastly picture of me so I cropped Hanna. What a special time we had together. She had been to Vietnam twice before as a windsurfer but doing humanitarian work was something she wanted to do and jumped at the chance to go with us. She really wanted to go back again and maybe even spend a year helping doctors and patients. She was a brilliant, compassionate and hardworking woman.

Hanna knew how to work hard, but she also knew how to play hard. Her idea of play and mine didn't always match up either! She climbed Mt. Kilamanjaro just for fun. Her next scheduled trip was to be India. Her face would light up every time she talked about going there with Maia.  She was going to also look into climbing K-2 in Northern India. Our last book we read together was "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson. It is a true story of a man who tried to summit K-2 but ended up being lost from his group and wandering into a remote village. The story unfolds of how he promises that he will go back and build a school for Muslim girls. He does just that and to this day I believe there are about 80 schools in northern India and Afghanistan because of one man's promise and passion. Hanna and I were on fire after reading the book. We both felt compelled to continue to help people but of course Hanna took it one step farther and wanted to climb mountains too!!

It is our desire as a book club to help make part of Hanna's dreams come true and we hope to find a young woman in Vietnam who desires to become a medical doctor and be able to help fund her education. We will do this in Hanna's memory.

Hanna was my friend but as life has it she became acquainted with some of my other friends and I know that I will join with those that have come to know and love my friend on Saturday as we remember her life and sorrow together.

When you think about it, when someone dies there is one less person on this earth that loves you in a certain way. No one can ever fill their shoes. I have to say, that I am more thankful than ever for the sweet friendships that remain and this helps me realize more than ever to appreciate and cherish them more deeply. And because life is abundant and ever moving forward there will be new friends made along the way. Even through Hanna's death the bonds that exist between us become deeper and more meaningful.

I know that Hanna has climbed a new mountain top. She has reached the summit. And because of the resurrection of Jesus I know that I will see my friend again. This gives me hope and peace.