The Journey Begins

If you’re reading this, chances are you already know how special Hanna was. Regardless, I would like to take a moment to speak to the immensity of her light in an otherwise dark world.

Hanna was unique in her ability to weather the storm. A lot of people are funny, smart, witty, or passionate. And yes, Hanna was all of those things, but what really set her apart was her ability to face the ugliness of this world—the downtrodden, the sick, the left-behinds—and walk out with that mischievous glint still in her eye. You know, some people go there whole lives without ever leaving their hometown; at the age of twenty-three, Hanna had already opened up a teahouse in Armenia, fought off a bear in Romania, fed and sheltered orphans in Hungry, walked amidst the stones in Scotland, served drinks to some rough sailor boys in Maryland, and done more good for this world than most of us could do in four lifetimes. Hanna possessed an insatiable appetite for life, and she didn’t take small bites—she devoured everything this world had to offer.

Through Hanna’s passing, I have learned the worst lesson life can teach—that it makes no sense. I suppose I’m as guilty as any in believing that we can buy immortality through good deeds; that through doing good for others we somehow make ourselves impervious to the crushing reality that death comes for all of us—indiscriminately. For if the world played by these rules we attribute to it, none of us would be here today. There would be no need. Hanna would still be laughing, still be breathing, and still be smiling. So I ask this, if someone as genuinely good as Hanna isn’t beyond the reach of death, what chance do I have? What chance does any of us have?

I guess, if there is any meaning we can extrapolate, it’s this: the next time you are faced with a risk, something that truly terrifies you but you know it’s the right thing to do. I urge you to do it—I know Hanna would have. I know Hanna would have dove headfirst.

“I urge you to do it—I know Hanna would have. I know Hanna would have dove headfirst. ” -M