Friday, July 25, 2008

Shera Darling, You Are Missed...

In my life, never have I experienced losing a good friend far a close friend. On July 22nd 2008, anyhow, I had to swallow a devastating news. The passing of my beloved close friend Allahyarhamah Shahira Abd Ghani or better known to us as Shera.

Shera to those who didn't know her, was a synonym to felicitousness, sunniness, warmheartedness, unselfishness. She brought laughters wherever she went. She touched our hearts with her affection. I sometimes was amazed with the energy she carried with her. A petite lady who was always on the move & able to juggle time as a mom, a wife, a career woman & a friend.

She was normally among the firsts to drop a comment on my blog. After each posting, I always looked forward to her cheerful & warm remark. She never failed to make me smile. Even though she started blogging only this year, it was quite a drive coping with her lovely posts. They kept on coming. It was really through blogging that we started to reconcile our friendship.

Not only that she boosted up my spirit to keep on posting. She was also the one who introduced me to my latest favourite author. We did not have the chance to talk in person about the books. Nor did we have the chance to do coffee that we planned.

The last time we met was at my house in February. She attended Yasmin's & Wardah's birthday party with both her girls. As always she was as chirpy as usual. Minding both her girls & at the same time catching up with our friends. Not even once she snapped at her girls. In fact at one point I found her away from the group. Her girls wanted to play on a dolphin seesaw I had. In between laughters she told me that her girls insisted to eat at this playground (which was really the seesaw). Did she refuse? No, she played along. I remembered her perspiring under the hot sun feeding the girls, away from the others under the cool shed of a canopy. Come to think of it, she made a beautiful picture with her girls. Why didn't I snap a photo??...

It had always been difficult to pool all of us together. Now that everyone is with family & our priorities change which is normal. Once, we failed to have a get together due to a poor response. Arwah Shera replied "Sometimes when things are impromptu mesti jadiknya". What an irony when most of us were in the end together again, at unfortunately her funeral.

Shera darling, you are deeply missed. Rest in peace my friend. May Allah place you amongst the mukminins. Amin.... Al-Fatihah.

32 comments:

ida said...

Yes Ja..we all miss her..the fact that we have to let go of someone as dear as she was, is really heart-wrecking.even though i wasn't close to her as much as any of us do, the little time that we had spent once, was enough for me to value her friendship. maybe that's why God loves her and keeps her closer to Him.One thg that i learned from this painful event is that even on the day she left us, she could gather all of us together again.And if only Shera knows and seen how it all ends on that day, she should be glad seeing all her friends, family, and everyone there surrounding her with love and doa.Prayers be for our friend Shera.Always...

Lizamurni Lokman said...

Ja,
Just like you, Shera was a loyal reader of my blog and her cheeky yet motivating comments had never failed to make my days.....
I was at the graveyard and as her body was lowered down onto the ground, I kept on thinking about any hints that she might have put in her blogs before she passed away...the obvious one was definitely the entry which she wrote just 2 nights before the tragedy where she blogged about how she met her husband and it was so detail and full of emotion and love.....as if she knew that she's going to leave her family...
I'm going to miss her so much....

Yatie_T said...

Jabishah,
I didn't know her but I always read her posts on your blog. She sounds like a very lovely lady and loved by all of her friends but Allah loves her more. Fear was the reason for me not knowing Allahyarhamah Shera and regretted it. Thought and prayers to Shera ....... Al-Fatihah.

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Salam Ja,
I always read her comments in your blog, but somehow I didn't blog-hop to hers. How sad.... I missed the opportunity of knowing such a wonderful person.

Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas rohnya dan menempatkannya di kalangan orang-orang yang beriman.

AlFatihah.

Lee said...

Hello Jabishah, I can't believe Shera has gone forever.
She brought sunshine and smiles to every one she knows whether personally or thru blog comments...
It is with regret I will now never have the opportunity to say 'hello' to her personally and buka cherita over coffee and donuts, meet her family.

I am glad I was a busybody when I noticed her name in your blog and finding her name to be beautiful popped to her blog...I'm glad I did.
My blog postings will now have that void without her cheerful comments.

It was her infectious humour, her cheerfulness that I came to enjoy being her blog friend...and thru our sharing jokes, teasings and laughs I realised it is, now was...a privilege to know her. She really touched me with her bubbly personality.

I share her family's sorrow of losing a mother, a wife, a daughter, and you a very good friend.
I will miss her. Your very eloquent tribute to her is beautiful.
Keep well Jabishah...oh ya, drop over my place...just put out a new posting...Lee.

wanshana said...

Jabishah,

Like Kak Ja and Yatie_t, I always read Arwah's comment which she left on your blog. She would always be amongst the first to leave a comment, through which she came across as a very warm, loving, funny person.

And like Kak Ja, somehow, I never really hopped over to her blog...and I now really regret for not doing so.

I have, however, read her postings upon knowing of her tragic passing and they brought tears to my eyes as I realized just how much she enjoyed life and just how much she loved the people around her, as they loved her, too...

Semoga rohnya ditempatkan bersama golongan yang beriman. Amin.

Al-Fatihah.

Anonymous said...

Ja,
Please accept my deepest condolences and sympathy for the sudden loss of your dear friend, Allahyarhamah Shahira. Semoga rohnya ditempatkan di kalangan orang2 beriman.Amin. Alfatihah.

Nic said...

Ja
She is nothing but sunshine in our lives. I'm still trying to come to terms with it
I just can't believe she's gone
It happened so fast, it's really mind-boggling..

Miss her :( ~al-fatihah~

jabishah said...

Hi Ida,
Glad to have you on board & hoping to read your 1st entry real soon.
Arwah valued friendship as precious as diamond or perhaps greater. The fact of us together again mourning for her loss is plain sorrowful. But I'm sure she was aware of our presence & that hopefully highlighted the dimple in her smile. Together we pray for our dear friend. May her soul rest in peace. Amin.
You take care Ida.

jabishah said...

Dikny dear,
I always looked forward to her warmth comments. The thought that this entry is missing hers almost brought tears to my eyes.
Yes the entry abt Syafiq was very sweet & touching. Have you checked the other blog abt her girls? Her last entry made me cry. That blog is very precious to the girls & they are indeed lucky to have her as their ibu.
She started blogging only less than 3 months ago but her postings abt the girls were continuous. As if she knew that time was running out...
Take good care now.

jabishah said...

Hello yatie,
Thank you for your prayer. She was a special friend to us. I guess that was why she was lent to us only for a short time.
Al-Fatihah...

jabishah said...

Salam Kak Ja,
She was indeed wonderful with her warmth & affection. Thank you Kak Ja for your prayer. Amin...

jabishah said...

Hi Uncle Lee,
The day she was gone, I left my phone in my room to be charged. 3 hrs after the tragic accident only did I checked on my phone. Lots of missed calls but 1 sms. I straight away opened my msg box & learned the news. Was shaking, reread continuously but my mind sort of went blank. It was such devastating.
Glad that you were as you put it a busybody... I remember that 1st comment you gave her. Something about you making an emergency brake & made a U-turn or something. You are lucky to get to know such a lovely lady. My regret is that you did not have the chance to see the warmth in her eyes. But I'm sure she managed through her comments.

ps- one thing that I did not have the chance to talk to her was about our dear friend in Toronto

Take care Uncle.

jabishah said...

Hi Kak Shana,
Arwah was indeed a dear friend. She touched our lives with her warmth & love. She is missed that is for sure.
Thank you Kak Shana for your prayer. Amin...

jabishah said...

Hi Tati,
Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Amin...
Take care now.

jabishah said...

Hi Ila,
If it is hard for me, I know it is harder for you. She was closest to both you & yati. The fact that the three of you met 3 days before her leaving us for good makes it even difficult to let go. But Ila dear... she is now safe in the hand of her Creator. Of the many of us, she was chosen. That is indeed not other than the way she touched our lives far affectionate than the way we did. Life goes on but the memory of her friendship will be kept safely at a corner of my heart. Al-Fatihah...

Anonymous said...

My dear Ja,
Like everyone else, I read her comments and somehow also look forward to 'what shera has to comment about this..,'.

I don't know her but I'm sure she was a wonderful person. My takziah to her family. Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas rohnya dan menempatkannya di kalangan orang-orang yang beriman. Al-Fatihah.

Take care

Waterlily said...

Hello Ja

I am sorry that you have lost a good friend and my condolence to Shera's family especially.

Her spontaniety and charming persona have touched many people, I see - I wish I have known her too.

It reminds us to be cherish our loved ones more...

jabishah said...

Dear, dear Leen,
She was indeed a wonderful person with warmth & affection. A jovial person too & whenever we met, I always suffered from jaw pain - too much laughing!
Frankly at this moment I really hope that her husband has accepted her passing. Her 2 little girls (aging 5 & 2) need a sober him more than anything in the world.
Thank you Leen. Al -Fatihah..

jabishah said...

Hello Waterlilly,
Thank you. She was special. She brought sunshine to our lives. Her passing was a sudden. It reminds us of immortality that is easily forgotten. Yes, express what you need to, to those around you esp your loved ones. We never know...
Take care.

Cik Puan Kamil said...

Hai... I am Shera's sister-in-law. Thank you for your kind words for my Kakak and for being a good friend to her.

I posted a pic of her in my blog if you want to see her happy self.

jabishah said...

Hello Myrra,
She was a good friend & that was the least I cld do. Pls take good care of her little girls. Hugs & kisses frm Auntie Ja.

Anonymous said...

Al Fatihah buat Allahyarhamah..
I dont really know her but i can feel the sorrow & sadness all the family & friends must've felt..

our condolences to her family & friends..

myn & eileen :(

MrsNordin said...

I'm shocked to read about her passing! Tho' I've never met her, I could still picture her face in my mind as that one I saw in your blog. Oh my... and she's so young.

I don't know what else to say.

Al-Fatihah.

wanshana said...

Salams Ja,

Apparently my Hanna's English teacher @ Sr* A**n (Puan Pu**ri) is a mutual friend of yours and Arwah Shera's.

According to Hanna, Puan Puteri was crying the whole day the day after Shera passed away...

Anonymous said...

ja, hari nih baru i sempat go thru ur blog about shera...
sedih and sayu ...
al fatihah for her...

ok Ja..take care...

Love,
atun

jabishah said...

Myn & Eileen,
Thank you so much.

jabishah said...

Hi Mrs. N,
She was very young. At 34, leaving behind a husband & 2 little girls aging 5 & 2. I know it's not good but I cldn't help crying during the funeral when I saw the girls. I hope that they are in good care.
Thank you for your prayer.

jabishah said...

Hi Kak Shana,
I know your Hanna's English teacher. Another close friend of mine. She was at the funeral too but had to leave early to attend school.

jabishah said...

Hi Atun,
Thank you for your prayer. You take care & love you too.

iKHMAR said...

Miss Shera was a superb teacher in my school, SMK Meru...I'm 1 of the students that felt very sad when she left us forever.Ramai pelajar menangisi pemergian arwah...arwah merupakan seorang guru yang sangat berdedikasi dan penyayang kepada pelajarnya.

"Dear Miss Shera..,
May God bless you and your family forever. We always love you.."
Al-Fatihah~

jabishah said...

Hello theonly1,
Arwah was indeed a wonderful person & as a teacher I am sure she did superb. You are lucky to have her as a teacher, she was one of the bests.