Monday, June 30, 2003 I was saddened by the loss of a friend who lost her long battle with Lupus.  Val had been a member of my Lupus group for almost five years.  It is sad to say my final good bye to her and yet my heart knows that she had suffered long enough.  Monday morning her spirit was freed from the torment and pain of a body ravaged by the wolf.  Her fighting spirit is free to soar on to the next level, whatever that may be.  We will miss her, have no doubt,  but I would not want  her to suffer one more day in the final pain she was in.  Lupus destroyed her lungs and each breath was torture for her. 

We must remember that death is as much a part of life and birth.  It's the natural progression of life as we know it today.  Just as the beginning of life as we know it is a new level for our spirit to achieve, so is the passing of life at the end of this stage.

"Fly high and fly free my friend."

Sherry L Gibson                                                                                                        July 2, 2003