In the midst of death...
06/09/2004 09:13 p.m.
Forgive me. I have no poetry in me. My Aunt has died after 5 weeks in hospital. None of our family knew she was in, nor even that she was ill. For 21 years we nore of us saw her. She refusd invitations to visit and did not encourage us to visit her. She had been a widow for 21 years, was an only child and had no children. She was 90 whan she died. Her will leaves most of her (not inconsequential) estate to charity and one nephew who is as baffled as the rest as to why him. My Mother tells me my Father used to ring regularly until finally discouraged by the 'Why do you keep ringing me?'

As one of the nephews and nieces both able and willing to do whatever needs to be done I claimed her body, registered her death, arranged the funeral (which is tomorrow) and worked my way through her telephone/address book to inform anyone who might want to know. One friend in the book berated me for My Aunt's lack of any caring family for her to turn to.

And yet...
She had many church friends, is held up as a pillar of piety and strength in her church and will be greatly missed by friends living in Canada, Australia, South Africa; is deeply mourned by a young minister friend... Sorting through her papers today we found beautiful love letters written to her by her husband, to be opened after he had gone to work.

Who is left of my family in her generation? 2 brother-in-laws who, like her husband before them and their mother before that have alzheimer's; a brother-in-law dieing of cancer, and a (second*) cousin (once removed*) who is delightfuly eccentric but bright as a button and looks to live for ever!

I am saddened, and grieve for what never was & for family ties sadly unravelled and frayed.

(*choose one or the other but not both - I can never remember which is which)
I am currently Empty