 19 Jul 2006 @ 05:39, by Judih Haggai
"I love the swimming pool, especially at sunset," said Janine. "I love the rows of violets when the purple is at full blossom. I am invigorated and excited by flowers. Ah, the iris! Nir Oz is paradise, the garden of Eden, the flower of the desert."
"I love the landscape here." Janine continued in her unique French accented Hebrew, "There are places where the company of trees perform their own scripts for me, their audience."
These excerpts come from an interview with Janine, conducted last summer, 2005, by Hayuta Zilberman, as part of our 50 interviews of Kibbutzniks for our 50th Anniversary Jubilee Journal, which Hayuta and I were co-editing.
Five years ago, Janine was diagnosed with cancer. At that time, she began a journey into self-healing.
Janine was a Chemist, by profession, and worked for a year and a half at 'Devik', an adhesive factory in Sde-Boker. Prior to that, she had been working for many years as the Laboratory Manager at Nir-Lat, the paint and adhesive plant located on Nir-Oz.
Five years ago, diagnosed with cancer, Janine entered through a magic door she called self-healing. "This is a journey that begins every day from the beginning. Everyday, I discover new inner strengths and the ability within us all, to overcome illness and heal ourselves. The secret is so very simple that it is both amazing and miraculous at the same time. And that's why it is so very valuable that I am living.
"I'm not afraid of death. I am discovering new emotions, new thoughts everyday. I manage to surprise myself and I am continually engaged with the number of items on my list of how important it is to live. This list is growing everyday."
And these words, spoken to Hayuta last summer, 2005, at the kibbutz swimming pool, had to be recorded, for clearly her time was running out, and she had so much humanity to share.
Yesterday evening, July 18, 2006, at approximately 19:30, it was time to awaken Janine from a nap. The family was already gathered on the front lawn for the 'Henna' celebratory feast two days before her son's wedding. The tables were ready, wine was already poured into glasses, and it was time to begin. They came to arouse Janine from her nap to join them all, but Janine had passed on.
My thoughts: The spark of life that had kept Janine growing these past five years had ended. That was the moment, showered in the joy of family, she could let go.
Rest in peace, dear Janine. May your words and your inspirational journey of self-discovery continue to inspire us all.
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