BC Cook
THIS column lost a dear friend this week. Esmeralda Sarayno passed away from complications related to stage four cancer.
I first met Esme about 15 years ago. She was a contract worker on Saipan, trying hard to raise three young girls after her husband ran off and left them. He may have found a better standard of living somewhere else but I know he did not surround himself with better people, because the family he left behind: Esme, Herald Jane, Hannah and Christine, were irreplaceable.
Often working twelve hours a day to put food on the table, she wore the hats of both parents. She was both law-giver and nurturer, provider of justice and mercy. She taught her girls to enjoy the simple things in life and always treat others with love and respect. As a result, all three of her daughters grew into fine women, a living testament to Esme’s hard work and devotion.
I remember attending a dinner party at Esme’s house years ago. As we feasted on the chicken, homemade pancit canton, and fresh lumpia, we learned that she and her girls had been holding back many of their food stamps for weeks to save up to buy food for the meal we were enjoying. They went hungry so that we could fill ourselves. It was typical of them. Sacrificing personal comforts for the sake of others.
Although her life was one of constant toil, she never lost her sense of humor, always smiling and laughing and making others laugh. She was the kind of person who could find the silver lining of any cloud, an eternal optimist, a quality that rubbed off onto those around her. When I felt burdened by some problem I was facing, Esme helped me put it in perspective and see beyond the grief of the moment.
A deeply devout woman, Esme studied the Bible and believed in its promises. She knew that peace, harmony and the satisfaction of a life well-lived did not come from a lot of money, reading self-help books or following motivational speakers, it came from humbly accepting that we are all God’s creation.
A few years ago she developed breast cancer. The doctors aggressively treated it and thought they had gotten it all, but cancer is a cruel disease. Just when you think you are in front of it, it attacks from another flank. During a routine checkup a couple weeks ago, it was found that the cancer had returned and even spread. Now the lungs were affected, the liver, other systems. Her kidneys shut down, unable to bear the strain they were under.
Family gathered from all reaches and as they hugged and cried, something else shined through. It is true that the more we love a person the more we grieve their loss. From the amount of grieving I witnessed, Esme was deeply loved by a lot of people. Isn’t that the best we can say about anyone?
BC Cook, PhD, taught history for thirty years and is a director and Pacific historian at Sealark Exploration (sealarkexploration.org).
