Long Live The Queen in Each Day

  • Feb. 3, 2025, 5:35 p.m.
  • |
  • Public

My family lost its matriarch, again. We lost my Gran December 2022, and her sister passed this morning. This means my mom’s older sister is now the matriarch. Long may she reign.
My great aunt was a sweet woman. The kind of sweet that attracts terrible men, and after leaving her second abusive husband when I was still a teen, she remained single until the end. Like her sister, she had very specific ideas about how people should be in the world. And while I’m sure I did not fit the mould, she was always lovely to me.
I admired her strength. She raised two gentle kids and had the guts to leave her shitty husbands. She maintained her independence until she was placed in hospice a few weeks ago.
Tonight in the art room I was going through some pictures, sorting them into age categories (childhood 0 - 13, teens 14-19, University 20-24, MB 25-30 and then 30-today). As I was sorting through a pile (I’m simultaneously looking for pics for my wall and also putting them into small photo books), one particular photo fell out. It was of my Great Aunt and I. We’re wearing the pins we used to wear as a symbol of grieving my father, so it was probably around 2005. My mom’s family genetics makes good looking women.
Shortly after I found another pic. There are 8 people in the picture, and 5 of them are now dead. My brother in law, my sister and my aunt were on the right. My dad, my grandmother, dad’s sister, my goodmother and my great aunt are all sitting in a row.

Ask me if I have cried. (I have not).

Tomorrow I plan to write letters to her two kids, my aunt and my mom, offering condolences and a good memory of my great aunt. I don’t want to let this pass by with numbness.
Good thing I have therapy with my usual therapist on Wednesday.


Loading comments...

You must be logged in to comment. Please sign in or join Prosebox to leave a comment.