Loss

My great aunt passed away yesterday. She had been in the hospital so I think everyone back home expected it. The thing about moving away from home is that you remember people as they were the last time you saw them, not as they might be in the present. I never saw her in the nursing home or hospital which in some ways is nice because I don't want to remember her that way. But the sad thing is that the funeral was planned quickly and I don't have time to get there to say good-bye. I thought that the best thing that I could do was to put a few thoughts in this blog as my personal tribute. "G" was married to my grandmother's brother, but was more a part of our family than any other "outlaw". In fact, my mom said that she had NEVER seen my grandmother cry, not even last year when my grandfather died. A couple weeks ago after seeing G so sick, she cried. G was in many ways my grandmother's best friend. When I was a child, we lived next door and I stayed with G on many ocassions. These are just some of the memories that I have of my great-aunt, "G":

• She was wonderful with children and I never met a child that didn't love her-- in fact, they just gravitated to her.


• I remember building tents over her dining room table-- and she didn't just watch or let me do it, she helped me do it and crawled under it with me.


• I spent the night with her once and I got homesick. I cried for my mom, and she cried for her mom too-- I laughed :)


• She always gave me peppermint or butterscotch candy.


• She called the cops on my dad (LOL).


• She wore the pants in her family-- she made her husband (my great uncle) walk the line-- and to a kid, that was very funny.


• She had beautiful flowers in her yard and always told me what each one was called-- I liked the tiger lilys and touch-me-nots.


• She had a natural spring in her backyard that you could drink from.


• She loved costume jewelry and wore it proudly-- the brighter and bigger, the better!


• When I think about all the importants event in my life, she was there; kindergarten graduation to high school graduation, and when I got older and moved away-- everytime I came home, if she could make it to see me, she came.

She was a great lady and I will miss her. I didn't have a good picture to post, but I love this one of my daughter inspecting her locket.