Isabel Allende (1 of 2)

Why do I so love Isabel Allende? Simply put, her work brings me joy and so has Isabel Allende. The woman knows how to weave words and make them sing and swing to a melody that speaks uniquely to each of us. It must be the rhythm of the salsa and joropo of Venezuela, the land that so generously provided a home during the years of exile and where she wrote her first book: The House of The Spirits. Years after I was introduced to Isabel Allende’s writing, I discovered that her words are a reflection of her own generosity of spirit and the kindness of her soul.

For years, I had avoided reading her books. When I first heard of Isabel Allende, she had just published Paula, a book written to celebrate her daughter’s life and make us witness to the last months of Paula’s life and transition. It was not something I wanted to face and avoided reading the book for years. A decade later as I relocated to Montreal, I went ahead and purchased Paula for it was the only one that I had not yet read, and I had a need for good lecture.

It was during the late cold autumn months and I was engrossed in the book’s lecture on December 6, 2010, the 8th anniversary of Paula’s transition. The book was intense and emotional, clearly one of her best. I felt compelled to reach out and followed my instincts. I composed a heartfelt missive, and upon finding her assistant’s email address on the internet, emailed my note to the attention of Ms. Allende with the explanation that my gesture was spontaneous, heartfelt and done with no expectations other than to try and bring her some solace on what would be a difficult day. Imagine my surprise when, less than 30 minutes later, I heard the sound on my cell phone indicating the arrival of an email simply titled: Gracias (Thank you). There it was, a message from Ms. Allende herself that read:

Dear Regine,
Your wonderful message arrived today. It’s 7.15 pm, the last message of the
day and I have tears in my eyes. It has been a day of remembrance. I went
early – with my daughter-in-law, Lori – to the woods where we scattered
Paula’s ashes. It was raining softly, as it was on Dec. 6, 1992, and the
leaves shimmered in the beautiful light of the morning. We placed yellow
roses in the pond, sent Paula our love and then went for a walk with Olivia,
the dog.
It has been a quiet day and your letter is the perfect ending for a perfect
day.
Many, many thanks,
Isabel Allende

It has been a decade since that famous evening and I have never forgotten the joy she brought me.

Watch for the note I composed and sent her that evening in one of my future posts.