Released

Today I went grocery shopping and prepared for and taught a class. I also worked on stuff for the conference, started a new knitting project, and listened to two audio seminars.

Also today, my Aunt Marcia died. It wasn’t unexpected, though I guess part of me hoped she’d make it to the weekend so I’d be able to visit her one last time. I have so many mixed feelings at the moment. I was never close to my aunt, and in fact as a kid I was afraid of her. She and my uncle were missionaries in Guatemala, while of course my family was on the other side of the ocean in Africa.

Although she and my uncle lived in Dallas for the last part of their lives, I saw them rarely. It wasn’t until my uncle died a little over a year and a half ago that I began making an effort to spend time with my aunt, because I was the only relative living within easy driving distance (about two hours). I didn’t want her to feel that she’d been abandoned or that her family didn’t care about her.

The first few visits were at least somewhat gratifying. She recognized me and lit up with excitement when I walked into the room. She was eager to tell everyone that I was “family.” Our conversations were sometimes kind of amusing due to her tenuous grip on reality, but I knew she enjoyed my visits, even if she didn’t remember them afterwards.

Late last year, however, she was hospitalized and after that I guess a combination of meds and worsening dementia made visits much more difficult. The last time I saw her, in late April, she could not really carry on a conversation, and when she spoke, it was in a monotone. Now, she has been reunited with my uncle, to whom she was devoted, and no doubt has met her great-granddaughter Everly for the first time. There was nothing left to bind her to this earth, so for her sake, I am glad for her release. Please pray for my cousins as they have decisions to make in the coming days.

Parting Shot:

My Aunt Marcia and Uncle Ron six years ago when I stopped in for a visit. Notice they wore matching shirts on purpose!