Helene's Last Gift to Me

When someone passes away, you think about your last interaction with them. Where did you leave off? Was it on a good note, bad note? Did I miss an opportunity to appreciate them, tell them how much they mean to me? When will my time be? Will I have any “unfinished business”?

With Helene, I could have had felt guilt, but thank G-d she saved me from it.

The last direct interaction I had with her was a couple weeks before her tragic passing. She was a member of our monthly Chai Club, but sent an additional, seemingly random and generous gift to Chabad.

Since this was out of the ordinary, I reached out to her, thanking her for her generosity, and asked what we can attribute her out of the ordinary kindness to.

This was her response: “Just a thank you and although my travel has prevented me from taking classes, participating in women's group, you are in my thoughts and I appreciate all you do.”

Indeed, in the last year, we were a bit less in touch than we used to be. She had attended some of Natanya’s classes, but we weren’t as in touch as beforehand.

I had even wondered if we had done something wrong that she wasn’t as engaged as before. Should we have reached out more?

Her generosity and follow up message saved me. She went out of her way to tell Natanya and me how much she appreciates what we do, and her words were backed by action. Being less in touch was only an issue of time and space, not heart.

There’s not place for feelings of guilt.

But how would I have felt if we didn’t have this interaction?

Her gift was worth infinitely more than a couple hundred dollars. Her gift will give me encouragement and strength for the rest of my life.

We never know when our time is, and Pirkei Avos teaches us, “return the day before you die.” If we all lived our lives this way, the world would be a different place.

Try and think of someone you’ve been meaning to appreciate. Reach out to them and tell them. It’s a tremendous gift, and indeed, you never know how much it will mean to them…