MY LOVELY DAUGHTER MIE.

PAIN AND SORROW CAN NOT BE MEASURED, BUT LOSING A CHILD—A YOUNG WOMAN IN HER BEST AGE, WITH A BRILLIANT FUTURE, AND JUST MARRIED TO ADAM 4 MONTHS AGO—IS SO UNREAL, SO VERY DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND.

 

MIE WANTED ME TO BE STRONG AND NOT TO BECOME AN ALCOHOLIC. THE LATTER IS NOT DIFFICULT. BEING STRONG IS ANOTHER MATTER.

 

SHE WAS A MUCH WANTED BABY, BORN NEARLY 13 YEARS AFTER MY NUMBER 3 CHILD, AND SHE LOVED HER SISTER, HER BROTHERS, AND NIECES AND NEPHEWS.

 

MIE WAS VERY CLOSE TO HER “FATHER IN ACTION,” AS SHE CALLED HIM. SHE LOVED HIM. HIS NAME IS JOHN, AND HE WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR MIE, FROM WHEN SHE WAS 9 YEARS OLD UNTIL THE END IN SAN DIEGO. THEY COULD LAUGH TOGETHER AND ENJOY THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE—THE ENGLISH HUMOR, FUNNY FILMS, CAVIAR AND CHAMPAGNE.

 

FROM AN EARLY AGE, MIE WANTED EVERYBODY TO BE COMFORTABLE. SHE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING AFTER UNFORTUNATE CHILDREN, AND HER DREAM WAS TO WORK FOR UNICEF.

 

MIE LIVED A FULL LIFE, DID WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO, OFTEN SHOCKING ME BY TRAVELING TO UNSAFE PLACES AND SENDING ME AN EMAIL SAYING, “YOU’D BETTER SIT DOWN. I AM IN KABUL,” OR HONDURAS, OR QUITO, AND SO ON.

 

SHE KEPT IN CONTACT WITH THE FRIENDS SHE MADE WHEREVER SHE WENT.

 

I AM MISSING HER DAILY SMS’S, TELLING ME WHAT SHE WAS DOING, WHO SHE WAS MEETING. I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM HER AND MET SO MANY INTERESTING AND LOVELY PEOPLE. I THANK HER FOR THAT. AND, PLEASE, YOU FRIENDS, KEEP IN CONTACT WITH ME AND VISIT ME. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A BED FOR MIE’S FRIENDS IN MY HOUSE IN SPAIN.

 

NINA