This is Christine Danilowicz, or 'Sweet Christine', as Maria called me. I served as a 'field nurse' on Maria's Medical Volunteers International humanitarian project in Tokar, Sudan, in the 1980s during the 'Ethiopian Famine.' Since that time, Maria and I have remained close friends at heart, sometimes in person—although we lived 3,000 miles apart.
To Maria, I want to say, 'Goodbye, Dear Maria, I will miss you; I will always love you; sorry you had to go. Your spirit will always live in my heart.
I am grateful for having known you and will remember you as an enlightened person who:
-focused on 'what is important'
- didn't waste time- and made good use of it
-shared time unselfishly with others
-spoke and lived her truth and exemplified the Spirit of Christianity
-was humble and steadfast in purpose
-was careful, eloquent, and powerful with her words
I am thankful for you for:
-the flowers you arranged for me in your sun-filled guestroom when I came to visit
-the books you wrote and the personal stories you shared
-the walks in Golden Gate Park with you and your raven
-the Christmas cards and letters you sent -
But most of all, for somehow aligning the stars so I could fulfill my dream of 'working as a nurse in a lesser developed country and feeding starving babies.'
Ah, I remember you, Sweet Christine, the name she called you... I remember Maria and I working on her kitchen table on letters and such for MVI. I remember the amazing stories of how she would go and prepare the way for the nurses and doctors who followed, going to places others hadn't gone and teaching the people how to be community health workers, etc.
Roxanne M