This afternoon at 3:45, surrounded by many family members and friends, our Mara died. She had slept peacefully all day and just stopped breathing. We cried and hugged, and were joined by Mara's Daddy Dave. Mara's five-week old niece was there too.
The little bunny rabbit by her side arrived this morning, which is when I took this photo. It was a gift from her 18-month old god-son Alexander.
For us the world has become quiet.
Mara came in peace and went in peace.
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71 comments:
To my dear friends who raised the most remarkable human being, to Lisa and to David--
All I can think of is the last week of Jon's life, when we knew the outcome, but didn't want it to happen. But some amazing things took place during that last week--something you have been fortunate to experience during the last few months through the blog. People who had ever had any contact with Jon came to the hospital and stroked his hand and told us what he had meant to them. Former teachers, care givers, neighbors--Jon made them joyful.
Mara has that quality and more. Even in illness she has brought out the best in those who knew her. It doesn't make it any easier to lose someone you love so desperately, but it did give meaning to Jon's life in a way I hadn't understood before. The tributes for Mara from around the world have the same meaning for me, aside from my own love and admiration for her for nearly 40 years, and I hope, for you.
Standing by to be of service,
Love, Leah
Dear Aunt Carol, Uncle Gil, Elise, David, Daddy Dave and to everyone who loved and cherished Mara,
My heart is broken in a million pieces! Mara was such a wonderfully unique and special person. The world will never be the same without her.
My love to you all,
Laurie
Good-bye wonderful Mara...our hearts break but you are no longer suffering...here is the poem that Mara loved that another blogger posted in an earlier post. It has given me great comfort all of these weeks and it is now how I imagine Mara:
From this hour, freedom!
From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master, total and absolute,
Listening to others, and considering well what they say,
pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds thta would hold me
I inhaled great draughts of space;
The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine.
I am larger, better than I thought;
I did not know I held so much goodness
All seems beautiful to me;
I can repeat over to men and women, You have done such good to me, I would do the same to you....
Goodbye Miss Mara. I'll love you forever. We mourn our loss.
Johnny Sagan
Mara, you have beautiful wings.
Blessings and peace to all of you-
Rebecca
(Becky)
Dear Carol, David (dad) & Elise & Yoakim (sorry if I mispelled),
My heart goes out to you and the rest of your family for the terrible loss of Mara...I'm glad she is no longer in pain...
Dear David,
I only met you in September, but I heard great things of you from the minute Mara met you...Thank you for staying by her side through this and comforting her.
Love to you all during this difficult time...
Linda Hamilton
Hi, Mara...I sure miss you...But I'm happier because it is easier for you...I hope you are happy up in heaven...I got a new puppy and I really want to come up to NYC and show you the puppy...She is really cute...Her name is Husky...I love you...I wish you came to my birthday party yesterday...It was so much fun...I hope you are happy now...I will miss you...
Love, Audrey
This poem seems to capture what we ourselves can't find the words to speak:
Peace, my heart, let the time for the parting be sweet.
Let it not be a death but completeness.
Let love melt into memory and pain into songs.
Let the flight through the sky end in the folding of the wings over the nest.
Let the last touch of your hands be gentle like the flower of the night.
Stand still, O Beautiful End, for a moment, and say your last words in silence.
I bow to you and hold up my lamp to light you on your way.
~Rabindranath Tagore
To Carol, David, Elise, Dave, Gil and the many, many others who loved Mara - We are grieving with you. Steven just said to me that Mara had the power to make someone who knew her for only a short time feel like an old friend. The way she lived her life and the grace and courage with which she faced her last months will inspire us for the rest of our days.
Much love,
Eden & Steven
When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox;
when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular;
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.
When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.
-Mary Oliver
Mara was that bride, that bridegroom, and truly a citizen of the world. Peace to you and your family, Mara, and joy in the memories of the gifts you have given them.
Mara - you are an angel, you will remain to be my star.
David - Thanks you
Our Mara... thank you to Mara and to those closest to her to allow us to all feel we were a part of "our Mara" in the final weeks of her journey--as we had in the many years of her journey before that. She had, has, and will always have a remarkable way of making "one" out of separate entities... which is why her personal and professional lives blended so seemlessly. She is integrated into our lives, our hearts, our souls.
I share the immense gratitude so many have expressed to her family, David and closest friends for allowing us to continue this connection with her during her journey and ours. My heart goes out to you all,
Alissa
Mara - Travel well my friend. Liz McK. was exactly right when she described you as a "blanket-weaver" and it gives me comfort to think that you will always be with us through all the lives you have touched and connections forged between the "Friends of Mara" over the years and even through the ordeal of the past months. I will never forget you! And like Laura G., when I play my banjo, I will be thinking of you and all the joy with which you lived your life!
Carol, Dad-Dave, Gil, David and other loved ones of Mara - My love to all of you. Thank you for letting us be a part of this journey. The connection has meant more than you know to me and other friends that weren't able to see Mara in person during this last period.
Peace and love to you all,
Carrie
You depart on angel's wings. You memory inspires us, and you won't be forgotten.
To David and Mara's family and friends - I wish you inner strength and peace during this difficult time.
Doug
this is a prayer that Henry Scott Holland wrote(1910) as part of a sermon as the body of King Edward v11 was lying in state at Westminster. It has given great comfort to my husband who lost his brother and my mother-in-law who lost her husband.
It goes like this:
Death is nothing at all...I have only slipped away into the next room...I am I and you are still. Call my by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which you always used.Put no difference into your tone; wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play,smile,think of me,pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without effect, without the ghost of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was;there is absolutely unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near just around the corner...All is well.
Peace be with you Mara. We will take good care of the Galaties in Portland. Your friends from the Gulch.
Mara,
You touched so many in your short life -- on so many continents and in so many ways. Indeed, there must be hundreds throughout the world who believe you were their best friend, you touched so many with such intensity.
Your gift was the great gift of empathy and understanding, a gift that enabled you to blend into the world around you and the people in it, wherever you were.
I am so grateful for the connection that we had, and will always have. I will call upon you for help in the future, as I always have. When I'm confused and need a hand, I'll chat with you, knowing that you'll understand from the moment I open my mouth.
I know that your spirit will live on through the many lives that you touched. And in heaven...
"He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand."
To Mara's family, friends, and partner David: Mara died in the company of those she loved in her home. That's the way she wanted it to be. Thank you for granting her wish. I hope you can take solace in the wonderful memories you have of her.
All my love,
Kristina Koch
Dear Mara,
A Buddhist monk once said that death is like slipping off a pair of shoes that never fit very well. Mara, they must have been beautiful, embroidered slippers, because you brought out the best in everyone and everything. You lived in verbs, not nouns, and I think that is part of what gave you such a rich life. You waded in and did things. Now it is our turn, and we will do what you taught us.
To all those who have loved Mara, and especially to those who cared so lovingly for her in the past weeks, you gave Mara a fabulous life, and you gave her the the grace of a safe passage into death. What an amazing gift. May it sustain you in the future. Thank you for your courage in sharing this blog.
Goodbye Mara.
Love, Jennifer, Matt, Radhika and Rhys
Goodbye for now, Mara.
We will honor your presence and celebrate your love of life, your kindness, your generosity.
With all of our love,
the Scriven family
My heartfelt condolences. The world is a poorer place for the loss of such a special and good person.
I want to pass on the great comfort that Mara gave me when my Dad died two years ago (his last days went almost exactly the same way as Mara's). She said she believed "that the energy a person gives off during their lifetime remains with us and has fabulous effects over the course of our lives." Mara has touched so very many people so her energy will definitely be with her family and friends and go on and on.
The blog is amazingly rich and alive with her energy. "Good-bye Mara!" that fits well with spirit of the prayer that Lisa P shared. Indeed, all the words, memories, poems and prayers shared here are powerful and moving. Though not easy for those left behind, it is a blessing that Mara so quickly left behind a body that wasn't treating her well anymore, and that she went in peace at home surrounded by family and friends.
My family remembers her vividly though only having met her a couple of times, and just solemnly drank a shot of vodka to Mara as is the tradition in Central Asia/Russia.
Good night, peaceful sweet dreams dear Mara.
Ruth
Mara touched so many lives all around the world. I will miss her deeply. Our mutual interest in the Middle East interest of cultures and current issues were subjects of lively and deep discussions between us at family reunions. I sensed in her heart someone no matter their background: Muslim, Jew or Christian had a friend. Mara is the kind of friend that is needed in our crazy world we live in.
Goodbye my dear Mara,
Love and hugs to Carol, Gil, Daddy Dave, Mary and Dave,
Rob Skiles
Arlington, Texas
Dear Mara - I thought about you all the way home on the plane. And as I developed a sharp headache I was sure something had happened. So I am not surprised when Nick greeted me with the news. We love you so much....
David and Carol - sending you all our love and thank you for letting us accompany Mara on these difficult steps of her journey.
Love Nick and Anna
Mara, i know you will be surrounded by beauty and love as you journey onward. I will speak your name as long as I am here with awe and honor as I breath life into your memory. I will miss you terribly, always.
To Mara's family and to David. My heart aches for you. I wish you healing and comfort as you grieve Mara's passing and celebrate her gorgeous, luminous
self. With love, and from Mark, Samson and Eliot too, Jo
In Islam we are told that the more we suffer in life and the more sick we are, the more sins God is forgiving and preparing us for heaven. We are even told that those with a stomack (internal) illness are martyrs who are sent straight to heaven. I hope Mara is a martyr who has brought us a little bit of heaven with her presence and is now on her way to her place in eternal heaven. You will be greatly missed. But we are comforted in knowing that you're no longer suffering and that you're now in a sunny, cheerful place ... full of democracy, elections, civic participation and women's rights :-)
David, my heart goes out to you. I know that grieving Mara is no easy task. No one can fill the void she is leaving. I hope God gives you, and us, the strength to celebrate Mara's life and move forward.
Carol, although I never met you (except through this blog) I have to salute you. It's never easy to say goodbye to your own child. And it's even harder when that child is Mara. Thank God you have been blessed with enjoying with Mara her last few days on earth to give you lasting memories. As they say in Arabic, may God magnify your rewards (for withstanding the suffering of your loss).
Daddy Dave, my thoughts are with you. You must be proud for having fathered such an accomplished, courageous and cheerful child. Mara has touched so many lives and has stood by so many of us. She is not gone. Part of her lives in everyone of us.
I will not bid you farewell. I'll say "Till we meet again, may you rest in peace."
Love, Kenana
My heart is breaking for all of the Galatys, Hills, Krafts, Poppers, Morgans, Maisels, Elise, Joachim, the nieces and nephews, and hundreds of friends (each one a best friend). I followed the blog every day, hoping against hope that the news would suddenly change. Yesterday I wrote the fifth note that did not get forwarded to you because of some password confusion. In it I told Mara that I do so want it to be that we shall all share an eternity together. I desperately love every one of our family, even those who I haven't seen often or who hardly know me. Mara was so special that her heart, soul, and mind worked together as one beautiful example of what a human being can be at her best. I am so proud to be able to say that I was related to Mara. My love to you and with my love all the strength I have if you can use it. Susan Midnight, 11/3/07
Mara.
You were a cancer survivor when we met. You made a difference in my life. I think of all the others you've helped since then and those who will continue benefit from your life and from your work.
You are still victorious over cancer. While it may have taken your life today, it could have neither your spirit nor your purpose.
Thank you.
Jeff
Mara, we are all quite, our tears are falling down, but we all know that you wanted a smile on all faces of the world .This why you faced everything bravely. may your soul rest in peace
Amman will miss you
Mara,
God has taken another angel. We are relieved to know you are no longer in pain. Until we meet again Mara ... all our love to you and your family, The Roig Family
Sweet Mara, I will always cherish the wonderful times we shared. You are such an amazing inspiration to us all, always giving of yourself in your work, with your family and with your friends. Your love and passion for life has made the world a better place and is the eternal gift you give us all.
"Touched by an Angel"
by Maya Angelou
"We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free."
Thank you for being a part of my life. Love, Kim
To the Galaty Family
To Mara's Friends
To You David Mees
Please accept my deepest and sicnerest condolences on the sad death of "Mara". She was and will continue to be "My Role Model".
May God rest her soul in peace.
Maha
Dear Carol, Gil, Elise, David and the rest of the family
I am so sorry for your loss, my heart is breaking but at the same time I thank god for the family that you are and were to Mara. I’m so grateful she could be at home, surrounded by your love. I can think of nothing more important then this for a peaceful death.
The day that Mara found out about the second cancer, the melanoma on her shoulder, she and I met at her apartment and I gave her an old prayer book of mine; she loved it and I want to end with one of the prayers – for those who have passed on:
Dear God,
Please take the soul and spirit of this dear departed one into the sweetest corner of Your mind, the most tender place in Your heart, that she, and I, might be comforted.
For now she has gone, and I pray, dear God, for the strength to remember she has not gone far.
For she is with You and shall remain so forever.
She remains within me, for we are all in You together.
The cord that binds us to one to the other cannot be cut, surely not by death.
For you dear God, have brought us together, and we remain in eternal connection.
There is no power greater than You.
Death is not Your master, nor mine.
These things I believe and ask my heart to register.
I surrender to You my grief.
I surrender to You my pain.
Please take care of Your child, my dear one who has passed.
And please, dear Lord, take care of me.
Amen.
Love Aimee
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." (Psalm 23)
Arwa
Mara, Your memories and brilliant contributions to a better world remain. Plus your smile. Always. We think of you often, even though we had no idea you had relapsed. Happy trails. Love. John and Krystal Strickland
Dear David, dear Carol and Gil, dear Daddy David and Elise, dear Aunt Mary, dear friends, may peace be with you!
May our unforgettable Mara rest in peace forever!
I'm sure she will always be with all of us, because her spirit can never die and she will love us on, only from a different place, hopefully a better one!
We should celebrate her and only be happy to have known her. If you always remember someone, and feel her presence and if she is always with you - in spirit - does death has any chance at all?
If Mara had been a poet, she would have written what John Donne did four centuries ago, but I am sure she must have felt it that way, though. Because of Mara, John Donne's words ring so true:
"Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me."
With all my love and admiration to you, unique people!
Zlatna
Dearest Galaty Family, Mara's Friends, and David;
No words can really comfort you in this difficult time. Mara was and will always be a special, wonderful, and unique person. She came into our lives and left us with sweet memories. Mara, you will always be remembered in our prayers and thoughts.
May God rest her soul in peace.
Lina AbuJudom
Aimee just called me from DC to share this sad news. Then I opened the blog comments from yesterday and today and see the richness of farewells and poetry that everyone has posted. Mara's loss is devastating and unfair and yet she still brings so many people together to share what is beautiful in life, happy memories of our time at SAIS and so many before and since. I am in awe at her courage.
Blessings to Mara's family and all of us in her extended community.
Andrew Wells-Dang, Hanoi
To the Galaty Family
To Mara's Friends
To you David
All one can say at such times, is that May God rest her soul in peace and give us all the strength and courage to overcome this sad loss.
Mara will be greatly missed. She sure was and will always be "MY Role Model".
Maha
My heartfelt condolences to Mara’s family and especially to David Mees, to all who loved Mara and cared for her.
I can remember how strong and warm hearted Mara was, I can’t forget the feelings I had on that day when she was telling us how she could move on with her life and there was nothing there to stop her from fighting cancer and she participated in an awareness session with so much energy. That day when I saw her visiting David in his office telling him that all the girls like him now because of what she said about him in the session. I looked at her walking down the hall and said Mara can I hug you and she said yes without asking why and she hugged me like I was her dear friend, I told her I admire how strong you are and she thanked me with a big smile and a glittering eyes this is how I remember her face..
My untie died with cancer and I wished she had Mara’s strength and spirit. But dear Mara I know that you both are in a better place now there in heaven with Angeles.
Suzy Barbour
Goodbye dear Mara. My heart is overflowing with grief today but I know that you will always be with me for I hold your spirit close in my heart.
Dear Elise, my heart also aches for you and your loss. May you find comfort with Joachim and may David and Anna grow up to be as adventurous and beloved as their wonderful aunt.
Carol and David, thank you for having the strength to not only care for Mara but allow all of us to share her journey via this blog. It has meant so much to me to be able to feel connected to her even though I am physically so far away.
In sadness and love,
Tracy
Dear David, Dear Galatys, dear friends of Mara,
please accept the condolences of David's Dutch family, who feel like having lost a sister.
We spoke to each other on the phone after David called yesterday and cried.
I keep thinking of the photograph with Mara swimming....we will sadly miss her.
Thank you for the blog and thank you, David, for your choice of words, guiding us through the last weeks.
We do wish you strength and send our love.
A big hug for all,
Ems and Jeroen, also from Jonathan and Sigrid and de Mees-family
p.s. co-bloggies: thank you.
I'll miss you!
Dear Aunt Carol, Uncle Gil, Elise, Dave, David... to her family and friends -
My deepest sympathies to all of you. Mara was indeed very special. I feel so fortunate to have known such an incredible woman. When I think of Mara, I immediately see her radiant smile and hear her infectious laugh. She embodied love, openness, acceptance, living life to the fullest. Mara, you knew how to live. Thank you for teaching me that lesson. You left too soon, but you will never be forgotten. Your light will continue to shine through those you touched along the way.
Love,
Cindy
Good-bye Mara.
Mara lived life intensely, as everyone here can attest to; but that is just a small consolation for her leaving us so soon.
Thanks again for the constant updates on this blog -- with Mara's friends being so global, it was an inspired tool for keeping in touch with news and with each other, especially when things took a turn for the worse.
Our most heartfelt condolences and constant prayers are with David and the Galaty family as you mourn your loss. Please find solace that Mara touched so many lives in such many positive ways and she is now resting in Peace. Please let Nomi or Kimberly know if any of us locally in Washington can help with anything at all - we are all here for you. Love, Alex, Ron, Emily and Matthew
Goodbye Mara, you will always remain that lovely young lady who fills the place with laughter and energy.
My deepest condolences to David and Mara's family.
Mara, God bless your soul.
Wafa Aldada
Bye-bye Mara
May god bless your soul. My deepest condolences to David and Mara's parents and family. Mara-you will always be remembered with pleasant memory. Basma
Dear Carol and David-- Thank you so much for looking after Mara and allowing us all to share in this part of her journey through your posts. Along with so many others, we'll cherish the time we got to spend with her during a life she lived so very well. Love, Pamela and Charles.
Dear Elise, Mara's family, and boyfriend;
I am crying as I write this -- Mara's life has touched so many. I did not know Mara but do know her wonderful sister, Elise. Mara's strength and courage, as well as the obvious love and undying support of her family, has truly moved me. Mara's story is one of love of family, love of life, and dignity in death. My daughter (who is David's age) has a story that she often tells -- when you die you become a star. I am sure that Mara's star will be the brightest and most beautiful in the sky tonight. All my thoughts and love to you and your family.
Kirsten Poitras
We hope we'll soon have the chance to share your grief face to face, Carol, Gil, Elise, David and Dave, but I want to use my last post on Mara's Blog to thank you publicly once again for maintaining this link for all of us around the world. Most of my personal experiences with Mara were during her childhood. Through the blog I was able to read postings from people all over the world who filled in the parts of the picture of her life I'd never seen. Thank you too, David and Carol, for your decision to share the pain as well as the happy moments when you took over the blog. It was a gesture of respect and love to share your vigil with us.
Good-bye Mara and good-bye to the people we've travelled with on this blog. Did any of you notice in the news yesterday that astronomers were excited about a new bright light in the sky? They think its an exploding comet. I have a different theory... Win
I'm so sorry.
Love,
Kim
I was playing guitar and singing this morning when I checked the blog and learned the news. All I could do was continue to play the same song over and over again for Mara. She will be with me.
Que vuele Marita, vuele!
Mark
Dear David and all friends from this community, (co-bloggies, as Ems calls us),
Let's not close this blog, let's remain together and share stuff from time to time. I think Mara will know. I think she would love that.
I can't say Good-bye to Mara - this will never be the case, even if we all already miss her. I don't think I can say Good-bye to you, either. So, let's stay together!
Hugs and love,
Zlatna
Mara, we we first met 30 years ago. You grew up to be an amazing woman. We love you. Rest in peace.
Carol, Gil and Elise our hearts are with you and your families.
Jon and Charlotte
To Mara: Peace be with you, and may you have new adventures with all the spirits and energies you now encounter. You have touched my life so deeply in the last three years in ways you don't realize.
Yesterday late afternoon I had a sense that I needed to check the blog for news...and there was the news, with no comments yet. I couldn't find words, I just took the laptop over to Donna to show her, then gathered my son for a reflective walk in the neighborhood. He asked what what the matter and I explained to him the latest news, and then we spent the rest of the walk with me telling him why I admired Mara so much and my hopes that he and his sister would emulate her spirit and approach to life.
To Mara's Family (and her closest Friends): I'm crying as I type this, can you believe that the person Mara was/is could touch so many so deeply, this person that you all had so much to do with shaping?
Andrew, Donna, Ted, Katherine
A message from Richard Blue, a mutual friend and Mara admirer:
Andrew: There is nothing to say...she lived well, better than most of us, and I was lucky to have known her even for a short time.
She died on Dia del Morte...here in San Miguel Allende, all, and I mean all Mexican families go the graveyard and spend much of the day honoring and remembering their ancestors and recently departed...they clean and decorate the graves, strew marigolds to light the path of the soul, and generally enjoy the remembered presence of their loved ones. Around town elaborate alters are built to honor more public figures...these alters all contain food, drink, candles, pictures, and elaborate displays of flours. The general festivities are curious, with skeleton dolls everywhere...they mock death, believing that if they are thoughtful, people don't really leave us.
We bought flowers to put on grave that was not remembered...strangely enough we found a gravestone with the name, James McConnell Truitt...McConnell was my Mother's name...so we decorated it.
Among the pantheon of friends and relatives who have died, I will include Mara as one that I will remember on Dia del Morte.
"In one of the stars, I shall be living in one of them. I Shall be laughinng and so it will be as if all the stars were laughing when you look at the sky at night --from the Little Prince.
Mara, dear Mara, you are a star and each night as I gaze out I will search out the brightest star and laugh with you as we often did. Farewell dear couragous friend. Until we meet again. My heartfelt sympathies to Mara's family, David and all her friends near and far. We have been blessed in knowing and sharing memories about a one of a kind human being, woman and friend. Peace to us all on this day of celebration of the life of Mara Galaty.
Sarah
From 'Flyin' Shoes' by Townes van Zandt:
The mountain moon
forever sets too soon
bein' alone is all the hills can do
alone and then
her silver sails again
and they will follow
in their flyin' shoes
flyin' shoes
they will follow in their
flyin' shoes
The best we can do is hope and strive to follow in Mara's footsteps in life, for she taught us all how best to live.
My deepest condolences to her family, David and all her friends.
love,
Judy
May your soul rest in peace Mara. I am sure you're in a better place now, with no pain.
Rima K.
I was in New York last Saturday and wanted to see Mara, but couldn't. This Saturday, I was in Syria and thought of the day when Mara stumbled over a word there...I just got back home now and opened the blog... Dearest Mara...
She has given us all a precious gift - the opportunity to have known her and to have shared her life. We are blessed by her and are inspired to continue her passion in helping change the world... whether it be one person at a time or Mara times 1000 as we see here in this blog.
We'll get there with Mara helping lead the way ... our shining star with angels singing at her side...
And to Mara's guardian angel David... thank you for loving her as she deserved!
Mara, thank you for touching so many lives with your enduring (my husband chimed in "relentless!) optimism, kindness, enthusiasm, generosity, intelligence, strength, creativity, warmth and so much more. Your spirit will live on in those whom you have inspired and meant so much to--just as it filled the room when you walked in. You are one of the most amazing people I will ever have the privilege of knowing and working with--and embodied "carpe diem." You always brought out the best in people, and genuinely cared about the people around you, even in the midst of your own challenges. Thank you and your family for being in our lives and for letting us share the last few weeks with you--what an amazing group of people you brought together again! The world is a better place for you having graced it with your presence. So long, my friend, I hope we meet again....
Love,
Dayna, Paul and Isabella
Dear Mara,
I met you briefly this Spring and you were such a positive, open, warm and loving person. You will remain to us all an inspiration to live life with enthusiasm and bravery.
I know few people who have left this life at a young age but everyone of those people were extraordinary, and I believe that you, like them, had done your work on Earth earlier than most and are needed in another place.
I feel so fortunate to have met you, truly touched by an angel!
My deepest condolences to the family.
Oona (Elise's friend)
For those of us who have met you
Dear David (Mees), Carol and all Mara's family.
I'm so sorry.
I'm also sorry that I am only responding now. When I learned the news on Sunday morning, I was stunned and just could not write anything, even though I had known what was coming for a few days.
Mara is born to eternity! I will carry her in my heart always. Mara was my bridesmaid at our wedding here in Amsterdam in 1999. She occupies a very special place in our family. She faithfully came to visit us whenever she could, always in transit from one place to another. And she always left a beautiful feeling behind.
Now she is moving on again. And again she has touched us, more than ever, with her great, beautiful spirit. As my husband wrote earlier. Mara, we feel small.
We love you very much.
Hanneloes, Stefan, Samuel and Esther
Dear Mara's family and David,
I knew Mara first from her days at Mercy Corps when I worked with her on developing civil society programs as her partner organization, Partners for Democratic Change. I adored Mara immediately. Her straight forwardness, her enthusiasm, her humor, her passion for life.
Mara was recovering from breast cancer and my mom was dying at the time. Besides talking about successful civil society programming, we spent a lot of time talking about dealing with illness and death itself. Mara was not afraid to talk about it as so many people are. And although this is a difficult topic, we often talked about how death is the end of the miracle of living and what a blessing it is to be on this earth for as long as we are able.
Mara was someone everyone who met was blessed to know. I know I feel so lucky to have know her--such a warm, loving, dynamic, fun, smart woman.
Before my mom died, she told me to go on living and to enjoy life and to imagine carrying her with me in my pocket so that she would always be there smiling on me too. Mara too is now in my pocket and in my heart.
Thank you for sharing Mara with me.
Megan Ryan
Mara,
I never met you - but you have inspired me by your amazing courage and your life as is evidenced by your moving blog.
Do rest in peace
Kulinda Davis
Dear friends and family of Mara,
I heard about what happened from a friend of mine in Romania just an hour ago. Both my Romanian friend and myself were colleagues and friends of Mara.
We both worked for some time in different countries on the Balkans. I took some of my first steps in the world of democratic stabilisation together with Mara. The last time we met, here in Sofia, was just before she moved to the Middle East.
Mara will always remain a source of inspiration and admiration. I will miss her deeply.
Joeri
A different times in our lives we are students and teachers. But Mara was always a teacher. There was so much joy in her for life and people that it was infectious.
By simply being herself, Mara showed a way to be in the world that was compassionate, open-minded, fun-loving and inquisitive. Though her years were short, the richness of her life was long and lustrous, and her legacy - the wealthy of friendship she brought together - is priceless.
I will miss you dear Mara. But all that you have done for others - friendship, assistance, teachings - live on and blossom.
Thanks to all who have made her recent weeks more comfortable.
My love to you all,
Michelle
I am deeply sorry for the great loss suffered by Mara’s family and loved ones.
I was introduced to Mara on two separate occasions by friends who don’t know one another-- each of them close to Mara. I also later worked with Mara on NDI’s USAID-funded Jordan programs. I like to think we were fated to be friends. Though we only socialized on a few occasions (and had just one business meeting), we knew each other's 'business' more than we normally might have thanks to these wonderful coincidental connections. Over the past three years, I heard regularly about Mara from friends who loved her as an incredibly lovely woman, and from my usually quick-to-criticize colleagues who had only praise her for her intelligence and dedication.
Our last correspondence was an e-mail exchange regarding my search for a new job—Mara was concerned and wanted to help. I know this was typical for her.
I did not have the good fortune to know Mara as long or as well as my friends Michelle and Liz did (and do), but I write to reiterate for Mara's family and loved ones that Mara touched so very many people’s lives. One did not have to know her terribly well to recognize that she was extraordinary.
I went through a difficult time this past spring, and knowing Mara (and reading her blog) changed me for the better. Mara faced challenges with more grace, wisdom, and joie de vivre than most of us muster on our best days. She didn't muddle through, she lived. She didn't overcome obstacles, she triumphed. She is one of the coolest women I have ever met. This 41-year-old woman intends to try her damnedest to be bit more like Mara. I am sure I am not alone in this sentiment—one of the many ways Mara remains in this world.
I could not write until tonight. I saw the Good-Bye post on Saturday but I was paralyzed by my grief and…now I am going to be honest, like Mara taught me…I was paralyzed by my fear of death, my fear that I wouldn’t say “the right thing” and couldn’t possibly say all that I felt.
But, damn it, no self-respecting Friend of Mara is going to be quiet when it’s important to be heard. It’s true, I can’t possibly express all that I feel or all that should be said – but I want to say what really matters. (Again, I am channeling Mara here … let go of that fear and speak your heart!)
To Mara’s family (including David Mees, of course) – I’M SORRY and THANK YOU. I am deeply sorry for your loss. Losing Mara is terrible for all of us -- for the world --and I cannot imagine how great your personal loss is. Thank you for sharing your Mara, your precious treasure – for sharing her in the good times and in these recent, very difficult times. You are amazing -- and parts of you were always reflected in Mara’s radiance. Take care of yourselves. Thank you, too, for already thinking of ways that we can celebrate Mara and continue to do her good work for years and years to come. I look forward to being a part of the fund and Mara Volunteerism Day.
To Mara – We met in graduate school…in that unusually liberal (for SAIS) class about the ethics of international development. We did a research project – along with Aimee – on the ethics of democratization. I can’t tell you what we said or how it was received…I really only have two memories of that experience. First, I could tell that you really believed that genuine, equitable democratization was possible – and you made a believer out of me. Second, we had a lot of FUN. I hold an image in my memory of you smiling and laughing and gesticulating confidently as we prepared our oral presentation – what we said is long forgotten, but your smile and laugh are still with me.
I asked myself, as I started to write the last paragraph, “is it weird that I am writing to Mara now that she is gone?” but it feels right. There is a part of you, Mara, that just can’t die. Your spirit is so strong and lives on in so many people – including people who have never met you and including me. Like many others, I spent limited time with you but felt close from day one -- and will always keep you in my heart.
I know, though, I have to face your death. And I do have some good-bye words I want to say.
As another poster said, I am not a very religious person but I find comfort in ancient rituals that we humans have created to cope with loss and protect those we love. And that’s how I want to close, with a Jewish prayer that resonates for me when I think of you today. Imagine, please, my father gently placing his hands on my head and my sister’s head when we were kids…trying to protect us. That’s when I learned these words and how I want to bestow them on you:
May God bless you and care for you.
May God’s light shine upon you and be gracious onto you.
May God’s countenance be lifted upon you and grant you peace.
Good-bye Mara. Love, Eden A. B.
I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet and treat Mara with massage while she was a patient at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. My heart is with you all. She had great strength and a good heart.
Dear Carol and Gill,
You may remember us, Piet and I. We spent one week together with you, Mara and John on the island of Terschelling in the winter of 1999/2000. We were also very honored to join you in Mexico for her wedding where she kindly invited us. I heard the very sad news from Hanneloes Weeda a couple of days ago and I would like to send you, also on behalf of Piet, our most sincere condolences. Mara was a wonderful lady, so full of life, insipration and intelligence. She is a terrible loss for all of us and we will miss her very much. I wish you both much strength in this difficult period of life. Our thoughts are with you and her family.
As we say in France "un seul être vous manque et l'univers entier est dépeuplé".
With love
Gisèle Bidenbach and Piet de Boer
PS: unfortunately our beloved dog, Flaubert, which you met on Terschelling, cannot join us in this message to you. He died last April at the age of 12,5 years. I lost my best friend.
I work in USAID, and I heard the terrible news from a broadcast that was sent to the worlwide USAID staff... I read it and I read every word in this blog, I am so sad I never had the chance to know Ms. Galaty, I guess she would have said call me just Mara, as I've learned she was a great person but so humble at the same time. My regrets to Mara's wonderful family and friends, and keep Mara memory alive as she's an example to the world that we can shine throughut the darkness around with love!
Wishing we all meet again in a clean, peaceful and happy earth soon!
Disregarding religious issues, I'm not a very religious person either, I read this article when my father died on January 5, 2007. It gave me hope,
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20050815/article_02.htm
Emilia,
Dear Mara,
it was a unique experience knowing you and you truly changed my life. We are both survivors as you used to say. I would like to thank God for crossing our paths and having the opportunity and honor to have you as a friend.
I would like to add a very famous quote from a colossal Bosnian writer Mesa Selimovic, and I know you will completely understand, only for you:
Život je život, jedan kao drugi, svako traži zadovoljstvo, a nevolje dolaze same.
- Svi idemo od jedne obale do druge, po tankom konopu svoje životne staze, i svakome se zna kraj, razlike nema.
Smisao je gorka: covek treba da se odrece svega što bi mogao da zavoli, jer su gubitak i razocarenje neizbežni. Moramo se odreci ljubavi, da je ne izgubimo. Moramo uništiti svoju ljubav, da je ne unište drugi. Moramo se odreci svakog vezivanja, zbog moguceg žaljenja.
Misao je surovo beznadna. Ne možemo uništiti sve što volimo, uvek ce ostati mogucnost da nam to unište drugi.
You will always be in my heart!
Love Merita
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