Our Heart

I received some news today. News that hit like a ton of bricks. News that stopped me in my busy tracks. News that knocked me down. My family and I learned that the woman who has been a source of strength for us all- since the beginning of “us”- will not be around as long as we had all hoped she would be.


My brother and I were able to visit with her last Monday. She looked tired, lying in a bed that wasn't hers.  I wanted so badly to take her with me, bring her home. When we made eye contact, the first words out of her mouth were, "How have you been?" She is a woman who never offers less-regardless of the situation. 

For those of you who have had the opportunity to meet my Aunt Jennie, you will agree with me when I say-she is truly a woman of infinite hope, generous love, unimaginable strength, and unsurpassable beauty. The obstacles life has thrown in her direction are unfathomable to most of us. Lucky us. However, Aunt Jennie has the gift of turning life into opportunity to offer more love to the universe. More laughter at family gatherings. More phone calls to check on us and our babies. More patience. More tolerance. More words of kindness. More acceptance. More. Never less. 


She is and has been for a very long time, the matriarch of our family. She is a connection to my past, and to my culture. She keeps me grounded. She validates me. When both of my babies were born, she was one of the first people to call to check on me. Each year, on my birthday, she sends me a birthday card, with a little message written in Spanish. I look forward to reading it every year. This year, she sent it early. As I opened the white envelope, I couldn't help but think, this may be the last time I see Feliz Cumpleanos written out in her freeform cursive. 

She is a confidant to many of us, helping us through tough decisions-guiding us to a clearer perspective. Like my sister says, Aunt Jennie "is our heart.” And it is hard for a family to hear that they are about to loose their heart.

Aunt Jennie, believe me when I say, you have taught me so much as to what it truly means to be a woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, and a friend. 

Thank you for proving to me-again and again-that life is an opportunity. 


I love you. Know that you are today, and will be all the tomorrows that I will ever know-Our Heart.
  

(July 2011-Celebrating the upcoming birth of Liam.
One of our many happy times.)