92: The One For Chandra

 

There are acquaintances, and friends, and best friends, and then there are kindred spirits. Chandra was my kindred spirit.  She just got me and I got her.  I am lucky to have 32 years of memories with Chandra.  Though we fell about of touch for about ten years or so in the early 2000s, I'm so grateful that we reconnected in 2009 and grew close again.  Losing her has been the hardest thing I've ever gone through.

In high school Chandra was smart and ambitious.  She earned top grades, was a lightning fast typist, and dreamed of entering the medical field (a dream she realized when she became a dentist).  Chandra was a talented musician.  I remember sitting in her parents living room watching her practice for her performance at graduation and I was amazed by the gorgeous sounds she produced on the piano.  

Chandra had a bright smile and the most expressive face. She could communicate so much with just a look, a raise of the eyebrow, a wry smile, a tilt of he her head. (If you watch the video clip from Senior Survival you see her expressiveness on full display).  She had the most charming little half-chuckle when she was amused. 

Chandra had a  compassionate heart--she felt things very deeply.  I remember during our World History class senior year we watched a documentary on Vietnam, and she was so hurt by the devastation the civilians suffered in that war.  She couldn't stop talking about it, couldn't stop thinking about it.  

Chandra was a source of comfort--a safe place for me and so many others.  When you were in trouble, going through a hard time, in need of a friend--Chandra was there.  She could be fierce, but she was also fiercely loyal.  

She represented our class well as treasurer our freshman year, as the star of our senior class play, and playing "Malaguena" at graduation. 

There's so much I could say about Chandra.  There's so much I have said. You can read a more detailed account of our friendship here. 

All I know is that one spring day on the ball field at Forest Lake Academy Chandra and I promised to be friends forever. And we are.  

I miss Chandra every single day.

Chandra's birthday is incorrectly listed as April 14, 1974 instead of March 14