As we grow older, we often find that the only time whole families come together anymore is for weddings and funerals. One is obviously more jovial than the other, yet unfortunately time does come to say goodbye to those we love.
My Aunt Glenda, Dad's sister, had not been well for years. And in fact, I hadn't seen her since, I believe, before she even went in to a nursing home several years ago. Though 2 of my cousins live just doors away from my parents, we have unfortunately not been close with them for quite some time. I can pretty much pin-point the time that my family and Aunt Glenda's started drifting apart to right after my Grandpa Z. died. Just a year later Grandma Z. died, and after that everything was different; no more Sunday dinners at the Grandparent's house, no more family time at each other's houses during the Holidays. While I still thought fondly of those times, it was like they were in a past that would never again be reality. And so it is.
Aunt Glenda passed away the morning after Christmas. While I'm sad that we weren't closer, or rather close at all for more than a decade, from what I hear her passing was a blessing in disguise. I know that her 3 sons, my cousins, will forever miss her and are grieving the loss of her earthly presence. I also know that they will carry her memory with them forever, and that she is now resting in peace; free from the burdens that held her captive on earth. And I hope, though we were reunited under such unhappy circumstances, that I can start to rekindle a relationship with my cousins. I'm ashamed to say I don't even really know who they are anymore, and I hope that can change.
Rest in peace, Glenda Elizabeth Frederick.
My Aunt Glenda, Dad's sister, had not been well for years. And in fact, I hadn't seen her since, I believe, before she even went in to a nursing home several years ago. Though 2 of my cousins live just doors away from my parents, we have unfortunately not been close with them for quite some time. I can pretty much pin-point the time that my family and Aunt Glenda's started drifting apart to right after my Grandpa Z. died. Just a year later Grandma Z. died, and after that everything was different; no more Sunday dinners at the Grandparent's house, no more family time at each other's houses during the Holidays. While I still thought fondly of those times, it was like they were in a past that would never again be reality. And so it is.
Aunt Glenda passed away the morning after Christmas. While I'm sad that we weren't closer, or rather close at all for more than a decade, from what I hear her passing was a blessing in disguise. I know that her 3 sons, my cousins, will forever miss her and are grieving the loss of her earthly presence. I also know that they will carry her memory with them forever, and that she is now resting in peace; free from the burdens that held her captive on earth. And I hope, though we were reunited under such unhappy circumstances, that I can start to rekindle a relationship with my cousins. I'm ashamed to say I don't even really know who they are anymore, and I hope that can change.
Rest in peace, Glenda Elizabeth Frederick.
My sister, me, and baby Ted with Aunt Glenda - 1982?
1 comment:
I am so sorry for your loss. I hope things between you and your cousins can change for the better. That picture is just precious as well.
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