Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/a-manner-of-speaking/5012804/
We gathered at the Church of Guardian Angels to celebrate the life of my friend, Irene Boor, and to acknowledge our great loss. I met Irene six years ago when we began working with St. Croix Press. Irene, Production Supervisor, and I immediately recognized a connection beyond professional necessity; and over a lunch every two months, we began building our friendship.Irene's illness made our moments together more precious and created in me a more conscious awareness of her special role in my life. But I learned that there were many people whose relationships with Irene echoed my own - Irene was a woman of tremendous influence. She taught us about the importance of family and showed us how to live out our priorities. She helped us see how precious time is and shared skills for making choices. She taught us that sickness is no excuse for withdrawing from the world. Even in her death she focused our attention on battered women. She chose to focus her energies on living and loving and making a difference, rather than becoming absorbed by illness. She lived her faith to the last moment. And our memories of Irene call us to work harder to change ...