About Elizabeth & Lucia

Elizabeth Blue

Elizabeth Blue, Elizabeth Meagher,
Elizabeth Blue ~ 2010

Elizabeth Blue (born Elizabeth Claire Kurland Meagher) was with us from January 12, 1990 to September 23, 2012.  She wrote from a very young age, and her poetry and memoir capture some of the joy, love, style, humor and grace she brought to so many throughout her full and rich life.

She discovered she had lymphoma November 4, 2011. Elizabeth died on September 23, 2012 at the age of 22. She was a gifted poet, a Creative Writing major in the Honors College at the University of Arizona in Tucson.  She was a strong, opinionated young woman, a feminist who believed that women’s rights included the right to be sexy; who loved listening to Angela Davis speeches, was passionate about justice, and equally interested in beauty and art

Though our hearts are broken wide open by the loss of Elizabeth in “this flesh and blood holder of humanity” as she said, the incredible gifts she brought to all in her short life will continue to live on through her writing, and I am grateful for every minute that we had with her.

She died at home in Tucson, AZ, showered with love and in a radiant state of grace.

 

 


Lucia Maya

Lucia Maya, Elizabeth Blue
Lucia Maya’s 50th birthday

Lucia Maya is the mother of Elizabeth Blue and Julianna Meagher, two incredible women and both gifted writers.  She is also a writer, a healer and a teacher.  Her work supports people through transformative processes, using dialog, coaching, intuitive guidance, and heart centered energy healing.

She is currently using her creative expression in her ceramic studio, and you can see her work with pottery here.

She lives and works on Maui, Hawaii. See LuminousAdventures for more about her work. Email Lucia here.

 

 

 

Lucia Maya, Elizabeth Blue, Elizabeth Meagher
Elizabeth Blue and Lucia Maya ~ April, 2012

96 thoughts on “About Elizabeth & Lucia”

  1. Your daughter was completely stunning, inside and out. She showed wisdom beyond her years in her work, outlook on life and the graceful and brave manner in which she travelled her journey. You should be so proud of the incredible energy and legacy she has left on earth. Peace and love xx

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  2. Blessed be the love between a mother and her daughter. So incredibly moving Lucia. Thank you for this beautiful share. Namaste

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  3. Of the so many amazing ones I have seen, I think the picture on top is my absolute favorite picture of Elizabeth. It shows her amazing essence and beauty so vividly. Sending love to you—today as always.

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  4. Hello Lucia greetings all the way from England. I just read an article of home funerals and it lead me to your blog.
    First I would like to say I’m so sorry for your loss, I know it’s been a few years but we never stop grieving for the loved ones that we lost. the video montage was so beautiful, already feel like I know your family and WOW at the many transformations your beautiful daughter went through. Im so happy to see she lived her life the way she wanted, the travels and adventures she went through before succumbing to cancer.
    Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Hope the memories you made with Elizabeth when she was alive bring you peace.
    Love Tendai

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    1. Dear Tendai, thank you so much for reading and watching, and learning about Elizabeth’s amazing life! She did life the way she wanted, with a rich and full life in her 22 years. I’m so grateful for you comment, thanks for connecting.
      love, Lucia

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  6. I have spent the morning reading through many,many posts here. Your daughter sounds like a very dear friend of mine. Same all consuming beauty. Same beautiful heart. I am deeply saddened for you, but thank you for sharing this amazing time you had with her. Peace and love.

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    1. Thank you so much for watching. It was certainly bittersweet – I did it in the first few weeks after she died, and it was definitely Divinely orchestrated. It felt like I was watching as it got made… blessings, Lucia

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  9. Dear Lucia,
    I am glad you re-posted this video, as I had not seen this one. I am glad to have seen this so close to her birthday. I love to see the photos of her, of you and of the early days when you were all so innocently naive to what was to come. I too have photos like that, though it was a very brief period of time for me. I miss seeing you. Please let us know if and when you come back to Tucson to visit!
    Love,
    Audra
    PS… I have a card coming to you, but it is late. Still it is on the way.

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    1. Dear Audra, thank you so much for watching the video and for your comment. I loved receiving the card, so thoughtful of you – it means a lot. No plans at the moment for a Tucson visit, but I’m sure I’ll post on FB when I am coming!
      love, Lucia

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  10. Dear Lucia. ..I think about you and your daughter quite often as I was so moved by this tragedy. . How are you doing?

    sincerely
    Sylvia

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    1. Dear Sylvia,
      thank you so much for writing and letting me know you think of us! I am doing really well, and am getting ready to do an update/post soon. I appreciate your prompting! Sometimes that’s what I need to sit down and write…it’s been a couple months I think and lots going on!
      blessings and love, Lucia

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  12. Your Daughter was a lovely young woman.I have survived Cancer 4 times but I am always shocked when I see a young person who looks so healthy pass away.I am always aware that this dreaded disease will come back and I’m thankful for the years I have had but I want to live a normal life.Is that wrong? I’ve been through the treatments your Daughter went through and I have swallowed Radioactive 131 to treat a Cancer which gave me another Cancer.
    All I can say is Please,find a cure! No young person who looks completely healthy should die of Cancer nor anyone! Please find a CURE!

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    1. Thank you. I am so sorry you have been through cancer 4 times! What a journey – I hope and pray that you will like a long and healthy life. many blessings, Lucia

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  13. Lucia,
    I am not sure if you remember me, Kass from Oneness. Last I saw you was when I was living down there and Sri Raniji came to your house for an event. OMG I am crying for you and I suppose for myself too. I lost my daughter Carly suddenly on September 12, 2012. She was 22 years old and I never got to say goodbye or comfort her in her last moments here on Earth. My heart aches for you because I know what you are going through. A mother should never have to bury her child, it is just not supposed to be so. I am still in deep grief at times and I think perhaps I understand why you are moving to Maui. The memories are so painful and then there is that sense of where do we belong now? A change of scenery and a new life has been on my mind for the last year and a half. I still have her clothes and I don’t know what to do with them because there is a part of me that keeps hanging on to this last thread of her life in the material world. And then if I give them away, is that disrespectful to her? It is a huge issue for me right now. My garage is full of her things as well. I have been out of place in this world since she passed away. I suppose this is also so for you. I admire that you have the courage to move over to Maui. I had thought of doing the same, just moving somewhere where I could find my place in the world. I am back in San Francisco Bay area now and have been here since 2008. Perhaps my time will come to make a new life, I just cannot see where it will take me at the present moment. I wish you much happiness and love in your new life on Maui. You will be in my prayers.
    Love and blessings to you,
    Kass

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    1. Dear Kass, I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved daughter. I just wrote a long response on the “Vulnerability” post where you commented, so won’t do more here, but I am so grateful that you’ve found my blog and that we’ve connected.
      It was hard to move, and also I felt compelled to when I did. It was time, and I was clearly guided to do so. You will know if and when it is for you. I know what you mean about feeling out of place. Some days I still have to just allow myself to do nothing, be alone, be present or just zone out…this grieving takes time and looks different each day, each hour sometimes!
      sending you so much love on this Mother’s Day. You are in my heart. love, Lucia

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  14. Dear Lucia Maya,
    I’ve spent the day re-reading your chronicle of Elizabeth’s journey and your own, and I want to thank you for sharing and for being vulnerable. Although I first discovered your blog because I plan to apply for the Elizabeth Blue Yogahour Scholarship, I later connected with it through my own experience with cancer, that is, my grandmother’s short battle with leukemia.

    When I first started reading the blog, it was in the earlier days of my grandma’s journey. Yours and Elizabeth’s accounts touched me and shook me so deeply that I started crying and had to stop reading. I didn’t revisit the blog until now, exactly one month after my grandmother left us.

    I could say that yours and Elizabeth’s story is inspiring, or empowering. But that wouldn’t truly capture it. Your story is raw. It is real, and it is painful, and it is pulsing with vitality. I have never appreciated the messy, haphazard, vulnerable, whirlwind of life more than when my grandmother was fading from it. Like Elizabeth, she lived just as fully in her final weeks and days with cancer as she did at the height of her youth. Like Elizabeth, she savored every breath, and she was not afraid.

    Thank you for testifying to that quiet vitality that can live and breathe inside a person, even while she is fighting for her life. Thank you for honoring your daughter in this beautiful way, and thank you for telling your story of loss and grief and moving on. It is clear, in your words, that you carry Elizabeth with you. I hope I can carry my grandmother, too.

    Love and light,
    Savannah

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    1. Dear Savannah,
      Thank you so much for your beautiful comment. It is so meaningful to me to know that Elizabeth’s and my story has touched you in this way! I do feel Elizabeth with me, and am so grateful, and I hope that you can feel your grandmother with you, as I’m sure she is!
      Many blessings on your journey, with yoga and in all aspects!
      love,
      Lucia

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  16. Thank you for sharing Elizabeth with us, wow , can’t even type tears are streaming down my face.. I had a pretty strong feeling after Stand by me, what the final song would be on this video, sure enough. I am so happy she was able to travel, looks like we were in Molokai’ the same year. I just now had to step outside , its 12:15am here. A beautiful clear night and a perfect sky full of glistening stars. I listened to the wind chimes play a beautiful melody while I thought of this video and how much your Elizabeth lived in such a short time. I also had a dog named Coco and I am a kitty lover, I lost 2 in 2012. They were my loves and both passed after 16 years of a wonderful life. I am so sorry for your loss, Elizabeth is in a wonderful place, I’ve been there in 1991 when I was attacked and stabbed. I wanted to stay , but was brought back. Why I don’t know, waiting for the universe to tell me, guide me to the reason I still am here and what my purpose is. I will read your blog in its entirety. I am moving to Mesa in the next few weeks, after living in Oregon for 26 long years. I have no idea what the future holds, but that is where I will call home very soon. Sending you comfort and peace.
    Becki

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    1. Dear Becki,
      thank you for watching the video. Elizabeth did live a very full and rich life in her 22 years! It feels like she knew she had a short time and a lot to do… Interesting about your Coco, and cats – I’ve always loved cats, and Elizabeth had a special affinity for them, seemed like she spoke their language. When were you on Molokai? Not too many people have visited there! My partner is from there, and still owns the house she grew up in on the East end, on the ocean. We offer retreats there, and I’ll be living there part time very soon, and Maui the rest of the time!

      You are clearly living your purpose – sharing your story with others is part of it, and finding the gifts in these events feels like another part of that. I hope your move is everything you hope for, and brings you much joy and many blessings! I’m grateful to be connected with you.

      love and blessings,
      Lucia

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      1. I have traveled to Molokai each year from 2003-2010. Attending the hula festival. My husband and I made the Islands our travel destination for years. We tried to visit each spring and fall. We stay at Luana Kai in Kihei Maui and take day trips to Molokai. I love the channel especially when the sea is rough.

        Since I left my career in 2012, the only vacations we have enjoyed are trips to the Oregon coast and Seattle. I hope to prosper again in 2014. This TV show may kick start a different career for me.Time will tell.

        I need to be where the sun is, I should of listened to that message years ago from a healer.
        Peace,
        Becki

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        1. Wow, interesting! I’ll be there for the hula festival for the first time this year – we have planned one of our spiritual retreats around the festival…

          I hope the move to the sunnier climate and the TV show prospects are wonderful blessings in your life! I look forward to reading more and hearing what comes…

          Blessings and love,
          Lucia

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  17. Thank you Lucia for your sweet reply. You are quite an amazing person to rise above your deep personal sorrow and display compassion for another mom. My daughter is in a hospital now and is suicidal even with therapy and medication so I have to live with the uncertainty that she can take her life. I am in shock as I know she has problems but didn’t think she was suicidal….you never know.

    Bless you and have a peaceful New year…..

    With sincerest admiration
    Sharon

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    1. Sharon, so sorry I’m just seeing this and responding. I hope that your daughter is doing better, and finding some peace. Many blessings to you and your family in this new year – please let me know how you are doing.
      love,
      Lucia

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  18. Dear Lucia….I am going through a life crisis now with my daughter and am fearfully uncertain about her future so I have been looking for support groups on the net. Your poignant story about your beloved Elizabeth deeply touched my heart. You both displayed incredible grace and strength during her illness and untimely passing from this earth. God bless her soul and your life.

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    1. Dear Sharon, I’m so sorry about your crisis, whatever it may involve. Know that you are loved and supported, even by those you don’t know…

      Thank you so much for your beautiful words. I am grateful to know that our story has touched you, and I hope it brings you some strength and the knowledge that you have the courage and love to move through anything that comes.

      Please be in touch and let me know how you are doing.
      blessings, Lucia

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  19. Stay at Home Mom here…..up with insomnia musing over my woes and worries and halfheartedly clicking my way around the internet and then this. Like a wake up call… I have three young daughters. I just bawled my eyes out watching the video and reading your posts. This is so important. This is so true…this is so so sad.. I am so proud of you and your daughter…. what an amazing child! What courage you both showed…..please hug her sister for me. I hope she is doing well….I hope you are doing well. Isn’t the internet so weird?? Here I am some complete stranger who 10 minutes ago had no idea who Elizabeth Blue was….and now I will never forget.

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    1. Natalie, I’m so glad you found my blog, and I so appreciate your comment. Death does put things into some perspective – there’s very little that seems as important anymore as family and doing what is deeply meaningful each day.

      All those arguments and things that seem big, just fade when we realize how blessed we are for each day…

      I’m so grateful that you’ve gotten to know Elizabeth through her writing and photos! She would be (and is) happy to know that too…
      Blessings, Lucia

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  20. I just finished watching the video above….and have tears and heartbreak. I have 5 grown daughters and my heart hurts so for what you all have been through. But the entire time, i was so touched by what an amazing soul she was/is and how you gave her such freedom to be who she was…..always….as she was growing up. What a blessing and amazing gift that was……and from that freedom she gifted everyone else. A beautiful lesson for me today. I want to continue reading her poetry and what else has been written here…..thank you so for sharing.
    Blessings,
    Kimberly

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    1. Dear Kimberly, thank you so much for watching and for writing. Thank you for seeing what an amazing soul Elizabeth was/is, and that she needed that freedom. I was criticized and judged myself for that at times, but it was necessary and yes, many gifts in return… I am grateful for our connection here and look forward to more!
      blessings, Lucia

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  21. Lucia, My condolences to you and your family. Your daughter was so beautiful and so lucky to grow up in such a warm and loving family. I know the grieving process is so long and hard. My next door neighbor was diagnosed with lymphoma last November and passed on in March. We see her husband and try to talk to him since he has no one to listen to him and you can see the lost confusion in his eyes. Be glad for your family and friends. Shalom.

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    1. Thank you for reading and taking time to write. We were all blessed to know and love Elizabeth, and I am in a constant state (almost always!) of gratitude for family and friends! blessings, Lucia

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  22. how very brave your daughter was an inspiration to everyone …… your story has touched my heart and she will live on in your hearts and memories ….. my thoughts are with your family x

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    1. Jane, thank you so much for reading this and for your lovely comment! Yes, Elizabeth will certainly live on in our hearts, and I am grateful that she will continue to touch many more hearts too. blessings, Lucia

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  23. Your story breaks my heart. I have a daughter who is only four days older than your lovely daughter and a sister named Elizabeth. The courage you demonstrate is extraordinary. Through Elizabeth’s poetry we are fortunate to get a glimpse of a short but beautifully lived life. My thoughts are with you.

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    1. Thank you so much for reading and for sharing your thoughts. It means so much to me to connect and know that Elizabeth is touching more people in this way! blessings to you and your family, Lucia

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  24. Pingback: Elizabeth Blue’s Life in Pictures | Luminous Blue
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  26. Beautiful poem… A Lifetime. It was posted on WOMPO a women poets on-line exchange today. Many were touched. I’m sending it to my daughter-in-law because it feels right. We both lost my son a year and a half ago. Your website is a wonderful tribute. These gifted children just go on giving and giving… even from the other side.
    Warmly, Tamam Kahn

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    1. Tamam,
      thank you for letting me know how Elizabeth’s poetry is being shared. I’m so sorry about the loss of your son. I agree, that they continue giving from the other side as well, and am grateful for that, and for knowing that there are many who are being touched by Elizabeth and her writing. blessings and love to you, Lucia

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  27. Lucia, I am overtaken by tears. You just visited and commented over on my site, and I came to visit you, and find this immense loss you have suffered. My condolences to you. Words fail me. I look forward to delving into your blog, and this very personal story you have so graciously shared. Much love to you and yours, from one mother to another.

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    1. Thank you so much for reading and for your comment. I am enjoying discovering your gift of writing and your wonderful bold sense of humor! I appreciate your compassion and feel the love. Thank you. sending love and blessings to you, Lucia

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      1. I have to tell you, I watched the video. I was overcome with tears. Is it odd, that even though I don’t know you, and never knew your daughter, I can be moved to tears by her life and your loss? I can tell she lived out loud, and her fire went out way too soon. Peace to you!!

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        1. I’m so glad you watched the video, and it’s not at all odd that you are moved to tears by her life – I hear from many who didn’t know Elizabeth that they’ve been moved by her, and she would be happy to know this…She lived out loud for sure, and I think she would love your writing as I do, being so completely yourself, as she was too. Looking forward to our continued connections!

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  28. Pingback: Mephobia: Fear of Becoming so Awesome That the Human Race Can’t Handle It and Everybody Dies | Imperfectly Perfect

  29. Oh Lucia, I never knew. Truly an amazing journey with an abundance of life and its gifts of love, grace and beauty. Oh my, such a quiet sacred place to witness.bringing me to a beautiful state to bath in its stillness. Thank you dearest Lucia.

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    1. Thank you Katherine. Thank you for reading and for your lovely words. I am grateful you feel that sacred stillness, as do I whenever I tune into Elizabeth now…blessings, Lucia

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  30. I am left SPEECHLESS! God bless you and the rest of your family! It seems that Elizabeth has been from the very first moment an angel and a perfect creature!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words! I have to say, I love and adore Elizabeth, and she’s perfect as we all are, but she was not always easy, and as angelic as she was at the end of her life, it was not always such! I suppose angels have all different ways of being… I will write about more of her life at some point, and some of her great adventures – she lived a full and rich life, with a huge range of experience!

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  34. Dearest Lucia,
    I have just spent 2 1/2 hours catching up with all the blogs…(you know how computer illiterate I am, I didnt realize all of these were there…) and as I finish with this video I am left sitting here staring in silence at the screen, with tears in my eyes and lump in my throat, but heart so wide open in awe. I have been so touched by so many of the words you and Elizabeth write, the photos and the music, that I kept taking notes as to want to comment on them to you. However, I am so deep in my heart right now feeling divinely blessed to be a part of your and Elizabeths journey, that my mind is remaining to be silent and peaceful.
    I love you. I love Elizabeth. And I love sweet Julianna.
    Namaste, Kit

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    1. Dear Kit,
      thank you so much for taking the time to read, watch, and write to share your experience. It means so much to me to know that you were touched and also at peace. Very grateful for you in my life, so many gifts! I love you too. many blessings, Lucia

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  36. This is so beautiful. Thank you, Lucia, for sharing something so intimate and personal. Your Elizabeth has such poetic talent and inspired passion. Through her writing, she remains alive. I look forward to getting to know her better, to cultivating a friendship with her in my heart, and to extending her spirit into my work. All Blessings!

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    1. Laura,
      thank you so much for reading and offering your beautiful words! I am grateful that she has touched your life and hope you find her writings inspiring. Looking forward to continuing connection…blessings, Lucia

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        1. Laura, thank you so much! I’m so glad you found my blog, and I’ll continue to read yours as well.

          blessings, Lucia

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  37. My heart is touched immensely by this site, these poems and the mother daughter love I can feel emanating from between the lines. Thank you for sharing something so precious to your life and heart and inspiring all of us to live our one wild and precious life full out, with thriving vibrance and love. Many blessings to you and the essence of Elizabeth that forever lives on…

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    1. Phoebe, thank you so much for your beautiful, heartful comment! It helps me to read this, especially today, after a bittersweet Mother’s Day, filled with gratitude and longing, both. Yes, live your one wild and precious life full out, with passion and love! blessings, Lucia

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  38. Dear Lucia,
    I just finished reading about you and your daughter in the lead article in today’s Arizona Daily Star and couldn’t help but be intrigued by what you said in the article and by the Death Cafe. Do you think you will attend this Tuesday’s meeting of the Death Cafe? I’m considering mustering the courage to go and knowing that someone as brave and articulate as you will be there would encourage me to go.

    Best regards,
    Reed Palmer

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    1. Dear Reed,
      thank you so much for your beautiful comments. We just had a meeting last week of the Tucson Death Cafe, so there won’t be one this Tuesday. The next meeting will be unusual, going to visit an outdoor (future) cremation site on May 3, but I’ll be away for that. I plan to be there for the June 4 meeting, back to our regular first Tuesday time, I assume. If you want more info, there’s a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TucsonDeathCafe?ref=ts&fref=ts or let me know and I can give you the email of the organizer! I’d love to see you there. It is a wonderful, warm group with great discussions!
      blessings, Lucia

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  39. Elizabeth Blue – her life in pictures….is everyone’s life & everyone’s path. if only one can truly remember all those moments with the rolls of toilet paper on the bathroom floor & those loving hugs from mom. that is it…that is life everything else is illusion we try to continually make sense of…but there is no sense to perception. why does the Truth fall like water through our fingers? yet, magically, sometimes we get a poignant nudge, a gentle shake that reminds us of the importance of being truly human & the connection that each & everyone shares & that is the path we are all together on.

    thank you Lucia for lovingly shining a light on our journey that sometimes gets dim by illusion. Elizabeth Blue was & is a great teacher.

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    1. Sarah, thank you so much for taking the time to watch this and for writing. I am so glad this has meaning for you, and that Elizabeth is having a positive impact!

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  41. Dear Lucia,
    I am mesmerized by the expansiveness of Elizabeths life. She transformed many many times, and with so much beauty, mystery, joy and adventure. Wow! The music along with the photos touched me deeply and peacefully. Thank you for your sharing your courage and story.
    oxox Kit

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