Livia in her kitchen
Some memories of Misu
Sometimes life trips you up, things happen that you don’t expect. My dear friend Misu died suddenly and unexpectedly on Saturday, aged 58. He hadn’t been ill, in fact we had been exchanging cheerful messages only a couple of days before. There has already been a post-mortem, and it turns out he’d had a massive heart attack.
Obviously his family are distraught : Misu and Livia were teenage sweethearts, and did everything together. Their three girls went straight up to be with Livia, and are able to stay for a while; in fact Ionela’s job allows her to work from home, so she’ll stay there for as long as necessary. I’ve been in regular touch since Saturday, and I’ve cleared the diary so we can go over there in a week or so’s time.
Misu was one of those rare people who are truly amazing. He and Livia chose a unique and rather precarious path, which most of us don’t dare to follow. They both gave themselves to the poor, the vulnerable, the sick, and spoke into the lives of countless children and young people, who will be forever enriched by their influence. Misu wasn’t entangled by the desires of this world, but on the other hand, he was interested in everything – science, philosophy, people. His grasp of faith was the most profound I know. We used to talk for hours about all kinds of things, he was one of my closest friends, and a lifelong companion to Livia and his three lovely daughters.
It’s much too early to say what happens now with Hannah, but we’ll work that out in due course.
