06/21/2025
"Death does not ask us the time nor the day before striking us down." (Sri Guru Granth Sahib 1244.)
On Saturday, June 14, my baby sister passed away from metastatic angiosarcoma. She was surrounded by her loved ones as she transitioned. And on Wednesday, June 18, we said goodbye to her physical body. Above are some words I shared at her funeral.
I've been grieving since I learned about her diagnosis 2.5 years ago--a cancer that is rare, aggressive, and for which there is no cure. And I grieve, now, for all of us who will not get to see or hear her, for all of us who will miss her so, so much.
My Sikh faith is giving me comfort as I grieve and hold questions for which I have no answers.
Why her? I don't know.
Why this cancer? I don't know.
Why so young? I don't know.
What meaning do we take from this? I don't know.
In my therapy work, I talk often about turning towards and being in this space of "I don't know." It can be highly uncomfortable, and we often fight so hard to get out of this space...and this fight causes more distress and suffering. It also takes us away from caring for our own pain.
Sitting in the I don't know allows me to acknowledge what I do know--which is that there is incredible sadness that my sister is gone and also some happiness that my sister's soul is free.
Or, at least that's how I feel now. Let's see what grief has in store for me tomorrow.