On April 12, we lost one of our own – Vera. A short but touching email, sent by her husband Jim to Val, delivered the news of her passing:
Dear Val,
My wife, Vera, passed away today at Walter Reed Hospital. She suffered from the effects of a ruptured aneurism in her brain. I don’t know how best to let Cathy know that Vera’s Yoga is now ended, but she did enjoy and value the experience, and she held Cathy in high regard. Please pass that on to her.
Thanks, Jim
This is how I remember Vera:
When I first saw cute, petite Vera walk into my Yoga class more than two years ago, I realized she looked familiar. She had been a regular customer of mine about 10 years prior at a hair salon where I worked. She soon became a regular Yoga “customer” of mine, amazed at the odds of her walking into my class.
Vera was what I call “old school”. She reminded me of my own mother…always moving, always sweet, and never complaining. She came from the generation where the simple characteristics of quiet determination and hard work were common. This is also how she practiced her Yoga. Many times during class I would see Vera doing her best to perform a pose, no matter how challenging; her face always soft and sweet looking and never did I hear her struggle to breathe. She took it all in her own stride and knew when to skip or modify. I never heard her complain about not being able to perform a pose or complain about aches and pains after class. She would simply thank me for the practice and tell me how good she felt and then she was out the door! She’s what I call “good people” and I feel grateful to have spent time with such a good soul.
This brings to mind something I read by Eckart Tolle. He said, ” Death is not the opposite of life. Life has no opposite. The opposite of death is birth. Life is eternal.” The universe gives our minds the gift of memory and as long as we remember Vera, she will forever be “alive”.
Our heartfelt condolences to Vera’s husband, Jim, and to her family! For those of you who knew Vera, please share your memories by leaving a comment.
Here some pictures of Vera taken at our past Yoga retreats:
