Describe a family member.
This morning as I was coming home from the gym, I found myself thinking of my aunt, who recently died from cancer. My grief hit hard and came out of nowhere so suddenly that I was breathless. It’s been months since she died but it hit like it was yesterday. So, this writing prompt comes at a perfect time to talk about my beautiful Aunt Amy.
She died this year after fighting years against cancer. She fought with such grace. I don’t know how she did it without growing bitter. She never complained, and when she did, she apologized, like she didn’t feel that she was allowed to. She had a quick sense of humor and gave the best hugs. I looked for her at every family gathering. She’s the one who pierced my ears when I was a kid. She popped by randomly whenever she was in the area and she loved my son as much as she loved her own grandkids.
Aunt Amy was a teenager when I was born and every year on my birthday she told me all about the massive ice storm I was born during. She told me all about how my dad almost didn’t make it because of the weather. 2023 has been the first year I didn’t get that story from her, but on my birthday, it snowed. It wasn’t a lot of snow, but it felt like she sent that for me. To remind me that she’s here and that she’s remembering the crazy ice storm of 1989.
Life took her too soon and it isn’t fair. Losing her changes the course of all of our lives in ways we weren’t prepared for, ways we never could have prepared for. I miss her every day and I’ll always hope for snow on my birthday.
Leave a Reply