My beautiful friend Kusum Bhatia passed away in a tragic house fire on Tuesday, November 20th, 2018. She is survived be her dear husband Ravi and her loving son Roche.

Kusum has been a wonderful friend these past 6 years, after we first met as roommates for 2 weeks in 2013. She, Susan, and I were the ‘Three Musketeers’ – Kusum called us that. Sadly, we were supposed to meet for coffee the very week she passed so unexpectedly. Earlier this year, Kusum had been struggling with some health issues, and unfortunately, I didn’t visit her in our old haunt as I had before (though I tried and brought Don with me for her to meet, but visiting hours are strictly after 4pm, and I am always at the hospital in the mornings; I was also going through various challenges with new jobs – besides the merry-go-round of trying out new work environments, there were repeated tests (not difficult, but time-consuming), qualifying courses, and finding more opportunities due to working on-call since May, then going through 5 new jobs in 5 months (!!), which is mostly due to my own limitations). I deeply regret that lost time. Things had just settled down for me, and Kusum was doing better, so we planned to meet that fateful week last month. I am including just 2 pics of her here; the rest are sprinkled throughout this blog. (You will note that I’ve given up photography as a hobby.)

Kusum has been a true friend of the heart and an unforgettable companion, with all her funny stories about family and life. I had prepared a eulogy for her, yet lost it between the car parking lot and the funeral home in the light drifting snow (arghh!). Kusum is the only contact in my 300+ contact list with a special symbol next to her name that always brightens my day, whenever she calls – it’s a flower, like her name, which means Blossom (and Fire) in Hindi. May her bright spark rest in peace, and break the cycle of birth and rebirth in this world of unnecessary suffering.