On
January 26, 2020 at approximately 2PM PST I received a call from my mother who
informed me that news was breaking that Kobe Bryant had passed away. It caught
me off guard and my reaction was disbelief. “Are you sure?” I asked and she
replied “Yes, it is all over the news.” My mother had a soft spot for Kobe as
she had met him in person years ago at PF Chang’s in Newport Beach, California
USA. My mother is from Costa Rica and she is not a big basketball fan but she definitely
knew at that time that Kobe was the star of the Los Angeles Lakers and very
famous. I had just left the
restaurant with my boyfriend and didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Kobe that
day but ever since my mother loved Kobe. She didn’t love him because of his amazing
basketball skills, his fame, his fortune, his success nor any of all of the other inspirational things that he was. She loved him only for the way he treated her
that day their paths crossed at PF Chang’s. She told me he was
humble and kind. She said he signed an autograph for her on a PF Chang's napkin, put his arm around her shoulder then proceeded to have a warm, friendly conversation with her.
I,
on the other hand, am an avid Lakers fan and like millions of Angelinos and fans
around the world am deeply saddened by this terrible news. The one thing I know
for sure is that life has a beginning and an end and we don’t get to choose the
end; that is within God’s almighty power. It brings me great solace to know that
on the day of the accident just hours before they perished, Kobe and his
daughter attended
Catholic Mass and received Holy Communion (a symbol of the body and blood of Christ) at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the
Angels in Newport Beach, California USA. Some people are non-believers or think that it
is not cool to be spiritual but this tragic event is proof positive that death
comes without warning and we must be aware of our mortality and spirituality. I respect all religions and even the positions of non-believes but I will still leave you with these words...
IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT JESUS IS LORD
AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED.
FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED AND IT IS WITH
YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED.
I pray for all of the souls of the victims who
perished in this tragic accident: Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa
Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester and Ara Zobayan. And
I pray for the pain of their surviving family members.
Jacqueline Sebiane
