One of the great things about returning to Trinidad to live two years ago was being able to reconnect with childhood friends. As it happened, one such friend, J, lived very close to where we lived, and we'd often get together with our families, sometimes at each other's homes, but often at the beach. And whenever we connected, it was like no time had ever passed.

J has a cousin, H, who I only know casually. I met H when we were kids, and J and H are close, so there have been many times when we'd had an opportunity to see each other. And for some strange reason, in the two years we recently lived in Trinidad, we found ourselves running into H constantly. If we decided to go to the mall, we'd run into H and her family. If I went to the grocery, H would be coming down the next aisle with her kids. If we crossed the island to watch the nesting of leatherback turtles, there H would be. It got to the point where we'd see each other and just start laughing: our serendipitous meetings were just so odd, they started to become expected.

About a month ago, my father mentioned that J's family had told him H was in the United States. It turns out that H has been diagnosed with leukemia, and is in America to receive chemotherapy. Her situation is pretty serious: her only hope is to have a bone marrow transplant, and she is currently waiting to hear if either of her siblings are a suitable match. The hospital where she's located provides its patients with private, password-protected blogs, and so she's been able to keep in touch with everyone; but more importantly, everyone is able to stay in touch with her. I've been reading her twice a day, every day -- awed by her bravery and unfailing positive attitude, made particularly amazing by the fact that by being in the US, she's away from her husband and three young children.

As I mentioned, H and I aren't close; however, I can't tell you how much her situation has affected me. I generally think I'm pretty good at finding something positive in each day, but H puts me to shame. I've become even more focused at being in the moment because of her, and every night before I fall asleep, I say a special prayer especially for H and her family.

So anyway, since H tends to be on my mind a lot lately, this afternoon as I was walking in our neighbourhood, when I saw the bright pink flower you see above blooming in a sea of green, a place where the flowers stopped blooming weeks ago, I immediately thought of her. The flower just reminded me of her determination and her beauty.

May her determination, beauty and grace see her though this tough time, and may she return quickly to Trinidad and the arms of her loved ones. And may she do so in full remission.