In Memoriam: Vivi Guimaraes

(Today) one of Heaven's daughters was called home..... she was a bright star in our small but special global village of EABers. We were better because she was part of us......
On paper she was Viveka. As for me and everyone else I knew, she was simply..... "Vivi"
I have no special claim on her, she wasn't my best friend, I did not spend significant time with her, I cannot say I was close to her. In fact, she was 2 grades older, which in high school is like 2 decades, and I could probably count on 2 hands the number of times she conversed with me directly......
So I ask myself.......what is it then? Why do I feel what I feel? Where does the dull ache in my head come from? The muddled thoughts and heavy heart? Why does it feel so especially personal? At the end of the day, I cannot say, but I think it was because she was part of something I belong to. Her leaving takes a little part of me with her because we are all still part of the EAB family despite the fact we were a tiny little high school in the middle of nowhere. We are bonded by our collective experience.
As I reflect back on my memories I can recall some things that did make my knowing her special.......What I remember most was what I saw as an interested observer.....I watched her deliver hundreds of individual "Hi's", "Hello's", "Oi's" and "Tchau's" that collectively won me over. She wore cheerful like a favorite pair of jeans, comfortable and natural..., it became her own "designer brand of fashion". She was a beautiful person on the inside and out. She had the ability to attract many.....you would want to be where she was and be part of what she was conversing about. There was a freshness about her that made things especially nice.

What was very special about Vivi was her smile...... Her smile could melt Alaska. Getting a direct "hit" smile from Vivi was a special treat. How generous she was with that gift. She made it her constant companion and everyone close by benefited and felt its radiance. She didn't play favorites with it..... rather she was willing to share it with the whole world freely, without hope or expectation of something in return...... My sense is that if you wanted to know Vivi, you just needed to feel a few of her smiles. I am fortunate I did.

She was the kind of person that without meaning to, could instantly make any Jr High School kid want to be a "man" and make any man want to be an "9th Grader" all over again.......Flirtacious....but never fake.
Above all else, she loved and had a big heart........ If there were one message I could leave with her today, it would be to let her know that she made an everlasting ripple in the EAB experience. We loved her as she was, despite what the world threw her way. Her trials didn't harden her heart, rather they opened it even further. Thank you Vivi for your life, your bright spirit, your acceptance, what you taught us all about love and friendship......You will be missed.
Yes....On paper she was "Viveka" . As for me..... she will always be "Vivi" and her smile filled the whole world.....
Abraco