Her skin is weathered but her blue eyes still sparkle with intelligence and a love of life. She just celebrated her 85th birthday, but for Mavis every day is a celebration. We could all learn a lot from Mavis, and Byrd must have figured that out right away. Mavis told me that Byrd was like her daughter and she really misses her.
When I arrived for our visit, although we had never met, she greeted me like a long lost friend. Her tears came quickly when she mentioned Byrd and I was happy to allow her to express her grief. We talked for an hour and a half. We talked about her experiences in Mexico and mine in Peru. We talked about religion and literature.
I was humbled by the fact that she still walks everywhere, doesn't have a TV or a phone and reads 4 or 5 books a day.
She also told me more about Byrd's final week. How Byrd was distraught with her SGI situation, trying to meet the deadline for her screenplay and hadn't slept for days.
The way I met Mavis at all was pretty crazy and there is a series of events connected to Byrd that I can't explain. As Buddhists we talk about being in rhythm. I have been in rhythm, but I'm not sure who's playing the music, if you get my meaning.
I told Mavis I would try to locate Byrd's screenplay so if anybody has any ideas let me know.