Hi Everyone,

I hope you have been enjoying the holiday season so far! I wanted to share why I haven’t written this week. I had a death in my family. My Aunt (who was my Dad’s only sister) passed away on Saturday.  When I first got word, I immediately went online to check out the flight situation even though the final arrangements were not made. I still went into action mode trying to be ready when the details of the services were complete. I guess this is my way of coping since many emotions ran through my head as I processed the sad news.

I was shocked to learn there weren’t many options as the flights were booked and many flights left either put me in NY after the services or having to go on connecting flights. So, rather than get all stressed about things out of my control, I waited for word from my family.

Once I had the details, I tried to find the best flight that put me into NY in time for Monday’s first viewing which was set to begin at 2pm. After much creativity and time spent searching, I was able to get a flight into Philadelphia Sunday night arriving at 11:45 pm.   Now, before I booked my ticket, the next task was to call my sister and see if she would be able to pick me up. She is a nurse and works crazy hours so I didn’t want to put her out anymore than necessary, since my asking to stay with her was already going to add to her overloaded life of responsibilities ( she will not be happy with me writing this, but truth be told, I felt guilty calling her because she always says yes, even when she should say no) I am truly blessed to have a sister so wonderful, supportive and simply there for you every single time!  That my sister was kind enough to agree to pick me up and have me stay with her I was then comfortable enough to go ahead with booking my ticket.

With my ticket booked, it was time to get my bag down from the garage shelf, get some clothes together and get my house in order. It’s my own personal routine in that anytime I have to travel especially, if I will be traveling alone, as in the case, my husband and son would not be able to make this trip, I like to have my house in order. What does have my house in order mean? For me, that means, tidy up, dust, make sure the bathrooms and kitchen are clean, laundry and ironing are done, food in the refrigerator, and if time permits, get some dinners cooked and portioned out and maybe have lunch selections ready.  In reading this now, either I am nuts or I really enjoy planning!  LOL The fact of the matter is, I really love my family and don’t want them to be out of sorts simply because I am traveling.

So, my weekend was busy, yet my husband and I had the opportunity to just sit and talk, as drank some wine in honor of my Aunt reminisced and shared funny stories about her, my Dad and my famous (or infamous)Uncle Jerry.

Then off to NY for a blur of a trip with late nights and early days, for viewing services, seeing family life long friends,neighbors and former business associates who had worked with our family. After a full Catholic mass, we headed to the cemetery for the final burial ceremony. In looking at these sentences and recognizing that this is perhaps the shortest paragraph of the entire story, it is by far the most emotional and memorable part of my trip. I could easily write another 1000 words about this alone! Funerals are always tough. What struck me was the older people and that their friend, my aunt, of more than 70 years in some cases would now be gone. What do you say to that? What comfort do you offer? How do you fill such a void! How I chose to show my empathy was with kind gestures, hugs and words that brought meaning to the significance to those bonds yet it still felt not adequate enough of a response to their loss.

Anyway, now getting back on a plane to Miami where I live apart from everyone I just visited with. It was a bittersweet trip, filled with sadness and loss, yet also filled with rekindled relationships with long lost relatives and fond memories.