MIRIAM BETTINA SPIERTo think of Bettina in the past tense, takes my breath away. Although as adults we rarely lived on the same continent, we were always close and could pick up the thread of our many talks even after weeks or months.
Proud of her I was always. From the cute toddler to the accomplished musician and singer. Her search for spiritual insights and the quiet, often humorous, sometimes wild courage, with which she approached her cancer, made me admire her afresh time and again. She was all this and more. A glowing person with gentle shadows.
The adventure of having a little sister never paled. We shared our magic Papa, the ‘family soup’ at the Chinese at the Stuttgarter Platz, a love of cats, the sense of humour, and curly hair. The English Language, though spoken with different accents, bound us even closer. This provided us with a new, more direct way to express ourselves. When the governments of both our adoptive countries decided to embroil us in an illegal war, we expressed our outrage in one voice. We understood each other. Even our need to look our best come what may. This wasn’t our most important similarity, but it was such a relief to know there’s someone on this planet who totally gets this self-confessed vanity.
We all miss her und have to find our own ways of coping with that loss. What unites us is our love of her. Where does one go with all that love, when the loved one is no longer there? A world without Bettina is hard to imagine. Janet and my thoughts are with you and all who loved her.
Keep me informed of updates
