Tribute to Yolaine

Peggy sent me this great picture of Yolaine dancing at the Vancouver dragon boat festival, along with some lovely words of rememberance.
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Yolaine embodied a warm spirit and had a quiet joie de vie that radiated from her smile. She was a quiet woman, not because she was shy, but because quiet was her nature.

It took me a little while to get to know Yolaine, and then I realized that Yolaine spoke her life, not through words, but by action. She didn't tell people that she was going to run the Half Marathon, she just did the training then ran the Half. But when complimented on her running success, she glowed with the joy of her own success and with the pleasure of people having noticed what she did.

Dragon boat was the same - she never complained; she just got to work and paddled her heart out. Even during the last few years, when she may not have been feeling her best, she would come to practice and smile radiantly, with the pleasure of being in the boat.

Quietly but passionately, she spoke about her children, about how much she loved them, about how proud she was of their accomplishments and how they each brought special gifts to her life.

Mostly, I remember Yolaine at the Vancouver Dragon boat festival in 2006. I can close my eyes and see her still - wrapped in her pink feather boa, and along with thousands of others, dancing in a frenzy of Pink Celebration. Her smile, her dancing, and her paddling spoke for her, telling her story of dedication to the things she loved.

Peg
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You can read the lovely words that Elaine Scarboro spoke at Yolaine's memorial service at Yolaine.

For those of you who knew Yolaine, please feel free to share a memory of her in the comments section. Add your name to the text portion if you want, but you can avoid having to log on by clicking on anonymous at the bottom of the window.