Eileen Pancila

In order to be alive, we must accept death. If we are to say that a person is living, then we must believe that their physical presence here is finite. All beings perish. Often death is not their defining moment, but a completion of a cycle...likely a new beginning. Forest fires eradicate life as nature clears a path for the births of the new. Time is not linear; it is a cycle. In retrospection, our lowest points are often not so terribly low and our highest highs are not always those moments as prescribed by society.

A woman of simplicity, candor and minimalism. (Over Christmas, she showed me a pair of 30 year-old sneakers that she still wore).  

Eileen touched so many lives during her forty years as a nurse. Her accomplishments, her highs, shouldn't be viewed as simply a mother, a wife, a sister. 

Forty years as a nurse--half spent helping persons with dementia--speaks to ones character. It was this character that kept me working during the pandemic -- I was merely a conduit of her. 

I will never forget her retirement party (thank you, Papa) and seeing how most of the coworkers who turned up were in fact her subordinates. What a statement of one’s character. 

And when faced with ethical decisions during my career, I knew that to choose the path of greed and apathy would be to betray my mom. Her cycle of beneficence continues through those she worked along, the man she wed and the child she reared. Her cycle as a being is not concluded, it is, in fact, continued through the lives she touched, the persons she changed and the example she set. An example of humility and integrity. A person who never looked to others for approval or validation. 

If more humans could possess her levels of integrity and justice, the world would be a far prettier place than it currently is. Perhaps, her cycle of love and integrity will find traction in the years ahead.

Look for it. 

If not on a global scale, then look for it as simple acts of generosity, caring and selflessness in individuals. 

When you see these acts, please, think of Eileen and know that she is still with us. 

~ Drew Pancila

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