The Motivation behind the Loss.

Last week, I lost a friend. A friend whom every time I blog, I will remember that it was this very place that brought us together.

Flashback to 2007. She said Hello in the form of an email saying how much she enjoyed reading my blog. It was always a fun read for her to read more about my wedding preparations, how it was like adapting to life after marriage and well being a girl in her twenties. I took pride that I had a fan in my readers and we scheduled a meetup. 

It was the first meet up and very cleverly she chose a place that I continued to enjoy the food for the longest time. Cappadocia at river valley. We met, we chatted, we laughed and we giggled. Since then, we have had many meetups, and we even went for a holiday trip together and we became close as ever. 

She was this bubbly girl that always had something witty, something sarcastic, something funny to say that would cheer me up by a mile. Naz slowly and surely became the sister I never had. Each time I had an issue I could not get around, she was there to knock my head, bring some senses into it, and make sure I problem solved my way though. She is that brilliant a friend, and she was always open about her thoughts and ideas. That alone, gained my respect. 

For the seven years that I have known her, there was never a moment I saw her without a smile, there was never a day she went without being positive, and there was never a day she lived solely for herself. She was all about making her life count by making the people in her life count. Her family, her friends, acquaintances, everybody. 

It was through her that I discovered my love for giving back to the society too. Along with her endless help and advice, I managed to raise almost $10k from my blog platform to help out children in an orphanage. And it was a priceless experience, something I can never thank her enough for in this lifetime and after. She was the most selfless person I knew, and her generosity in wealth and knowledge to the people around her is endless. And I am one of those lucky ones who have benefited from having known her in this lifetime. 

Five years ago when I was pregnant with my first child, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It has been a long and brave fight for my dear friend, and right down to three months ago, she was still as jovial as ever and still making an impact in many of our lives. Unfortunately her condition turned for the worst in recent months and it was devastating to see her being reduced to a state of suffering, pain and exhaustion. She passed away last Saturday. 

Naz was my first friend I lost through sickness and death. It is a devastating thing to go through. Looking back, I see many footprints she had left for us to remember her by. The wise words she used to say to me which I will remember for as long as I can. She was a teacher for more than a decade, and she had left her legacy in the many teacher friends she had as well as the children she had taught. More than ten years of children who remember her by as Ms Nazlin, the teacher who shaped their future. That in its own right is a huge feat. Because she was someone who advocated being the voices of the children, and being an educator who devotedly worked for the best of children's interests, her legacy remains in me in my teaching journey too. 

Naz, this is for you. One day, I will be a great teacher just like you were and I dedicate it all to you my friend. You will always be my motivation to do better. You are dearly missed in presence but never in thoughts because I believe you have etched a deep mark in my heart and mind forever. I love you my friend.

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