A Death in Laos

Just before New Year's I met Vanh and spent time with her family in a small village about 20 minutes outside of Luang Prubang. On Jan. 12th, I wrote several posts about her family, our visit and the bacci ceremony.

There are two beautiful pictures of Mama that I posted on my blog on January 12th. But I wasn't able to rotate them; so she's pictured on her side. One of the pictures is posted below again.

In January I was invited to Vanh's wedding. And most recently I learned of the cancellation of the wedding due to Mama's early death. Here's the most recent email I received from Vanh on Feb. 4th (written I'm quite sure by her fiance whose English is excellent):

dear Tammy
all we are well and happy to hear from you all the time so now now we think our wedding ceremony will be cancled and perhaps next year becuase my mother died on 1st we have just finished for her burning ceremony yeterday and tomorrow we have ceremony by making merit to her as the lao tradinional and after tomorro we offer things and serve breakfast to the monks and novices at the temple and then finish for our ceremony.
all well and every thing are going well
wish you all a good working, health and all successful
all with love
Phong and Vanh














May her memory always be a blessing.