walk gently into the night

In this short Life
That only lasts an hour
How much- how little- is
Within our power
-Emily Dickenson

She trod softly on the earth.

I hear these words when I think of Raquel Naval, my very first associate who succumbed to cancer last April 30. Raquel managed the Gomburza secretariat from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, after Fr. Robert Reyes left for China to begin his sabbatical, I asked Raquel for assistance in media work for Alyansa Tigil Mina and the CBCP. Later, when we needed a researcher for Dr. Custodio's biography, I again tapped Raquel: since she had finished chemotherapy for breast cancer, I knew the story of one of the country's first medical oncologists would have special meaning for her. This year, when she found out that the cancer had spread, she chose to try an alternative treatment for her cancer, instead of undergoing chemotherapy a second time, even if she qualified for free sessions under an experimental drug program in St. Luke's. She was grateful for whatever sum I could give her, which was almost always in return for small tasks she did for me in her house: I wanted her to feel like an active co-worker, instead of a passive beneficiary, as long as she still had strength and I think she appreciated that. In one of our last meetings in her brother's house in UP, I was blessed with the chance to express my appreciation for her friendship.

Fr. Robert, who knows Raquel more than I do, wrote a short piece in memory of her which I'm sharing here.

Thanks to Himig Heswita for the song in the podcast.