Goodbye to a friend 再見了朋友

Today I said goodbye to my friend, Lawa.
今天我跟我一個朋友 “拉娃” 說了再見。

I have known her for many years, as a friend, as a musician and music lover, and as an activist working to relieve world hunger and promote aboriginal culture.
我認識她已經很多年了，是朋友，是音樂家及音樂愛好者，而且是行動主義者，幫助解救世界飢餓及發揚原住民文化。

Lawa left this world suddenly, leaving many friends and family grieving at her unexpected departure.
拉娃突然的離開這個世界，在她突然的逝世後留下許多朋友及親人的悲歎。

Her passing causes me to marvel at the mystery of life, and how someone so vibrant can so quickly vanish from our presence.
對於她的過世讓我對生命中的無常感到驚異，而且怎麼這麼活躍的人可以這麼快的從我們眼前消失。

It also refreshes my awareness of how powerful music is, that it can build so many bridges between so many hearts.
這也讓我回想起音樂是有如此強大的影響力，它可以建立起許多心靈之間的橋樑。

As I joined her friends and family at the memorial service this morning, the depth of pain was felt most poignantly by her family members.
今天早上當我和她的朋友及家人們參與了她的告別式，可以強烈的感受到她家人心靈深處的痛苦。

I do hope the mystery of life will bring some peace to their hearts, for just as birth is beyond our ability to comprehend, so too is death, and there is so much more to this journey than we can ever know.
我希望生命中的無常可以帶給他們心靈上一些平靜，就像出生是在我們理解能力範圍以外一樣，當然死亡也是，而且在這個旅程裡還有更多事情是我們無法預知的。

And so we are left to wonder, where has Lawa gone, and more importantly, when will we all meet again?
所以留下我們想著菈娃去了哪裡，而且更重要的是我們大家什麼時候可以再見面？

Today I say goodbye -- for now -- and thank you, Lawa, for all you have done.
今天我暫時先說了再見，並要謝謝妳所做的每件事，拉娃。

MaShow 馬修