Dear Marla,

I met your sweet, young, enthusiastic face as we sat on the floor in a sweltering upstairs room of the Nader 2000 headquarters. We were discussing Medea's run for Senate. You were her campaign manager, fundraiser and all around full-steam ahead go force. I remember being quite taken with your persistence.

This morning I saw your face on the front page of the Chronicle without reading the headline and thought, 'Good for her! She is really out here making a difference and finally getting the recognition she deserves. I compared myself to you and thought that I really should be doing more to make the world a peaceful place. I thought that I'd like to send you an email to commend you on the thoughtful and powerful things you were doing in Iraq. To let you know that random people like me remembered you and were uplifted and heartened for humanity just in the knowledge that you existed.

Later as I read over someone's shoulder I realized you were in the paper because you had been killed. And finally the world was recognizing you.

Although I only knew you briefly, the force of your optimism and dedication to the betterment of the world was palpable and stayed with me. With the recognition of what had happened, I felt a grim sense of despair for mankind. We need fiercely kind spirits like yours - they are so precious in this world. It pains me that your sweet face will no longer light up the of people in Iraq or here at home.

What I do know though is that the light and love that guided you in your peacemaking is still here. In your absence I hope it will become a stronger presence in the hearts of those that you touched.

It has in mine.

Thank you Marla.

Darci
Berkeley