Leah: Noting on Death

"Death is not terrible like life. There is more to fear from coercion than the quiet refuge of death"
-Leah wrote this at sun down on the Sabbath. The Sabbath being a day of reflection and rest.

More remarkable than many other connections made in her writings, this one kindles my heart. In comparison to the other immigrant stories, we really don't have the opportunity to exam why Leah was so profound, and what specific happenings actually followed her. Since her writings seem to be mostly internal, we must digest that Leah was exposed to death, therefore she knew it well.

Perhaps this macabre tone lures me in due to my own experiences with death. Unfortunately I have seen many loved ones suffer, some of this suffering leads to death, other cases life prevailed however the suffering never ended. "I am not at all afraid of darkness or the dead," as morbid as these words might sound it makes all too much sense that the deceased suffer not, but the living live without. In a more recent death I've witnessed, a woman much older in years, and tolerating pain beyond what I've ever experienced finally passed after weeks of agony. I know not many could rejoice at this, but to her she was ready to meet her maker, and excited to separate herself from the body she had used for a lifetime. So I guess what I'm trying to say is if death stares me in the eyes, I'm not going to look away; for fear that if I miss my opportunity when it calls, pain and strife may some looking for me instead.

Most youth feel invincible and don't see the end, since it's so far beyond their reach. Leah not only sees her end, but walks with it and lets it foreshadow her unfortunate untimely parting. So this feeling of being on the 'brink of death', and seeing it before it comes, much like Leah should remembered when devising this piece.