Sitting watching the news this morning as they're talking about Eurovision. YAY!!!
Then my phone rang and it was my cousin, whom I had been thinking about this morning.
My Aunt Teresita has passed away. She's a Dominican nun who lived in Peru for 15+ years and sparked my interest in South American culture.
She was diagnosed w/ dementia in 2012, I think & the nuns called her back to Michigan to remain. I was able to visit her a few times when I was living in IN and those are some of
1/2
2/2
my favorite memories.
She was an amazing woman with a bright happy personality. Each time I saw her she'd have a huge smile on her face and would open her arms to me.
She's the only aunt, out of 5 others, that is/was very special to me. She never judged, listened with intent, loved to share her stories.
That smile and those eyes. What a beautiful soul. Wherever she's at now, I'm sure her cat Percy is with her.
Thank you Auntie Sister for everything. I love you.
In 2011 she asked me to take her photo because she needed one for the booklet the Dominican Retreat House in Grand Rapids was going to be publishing. 2011 is when she celebrated her 50th (?) anniversary with the Dominican order. I was sooo honored that she would ask me and my nerves were a mess the entire time. I was terrified of not doing a good job and she wouldn't be happy with them. Of course, she was thrilled with the pics because that's who she is/was.
Oh gosh, I just remembered that one time, many years ago, I played Nina Hagen's "The Lord's Prayer" for her....cause I was a 20-something-year-old who JUST HAD to see what her reaction was.
She wasn't insulted, cause well I never knew her to be, but she wasn't a fan of it either. I remember her eyes getting a bit wide & then shaking her head. I can't remember what she said but it was probably something like, "God loves everyone even when they sing his song like this."
@see_the_sus Sorry for your loss! She seemed like a pretty incredible person!
Yeah, she was pretty darn cool. I'll admit it was hard for me to refrain from soft-swearing, like damn or shit when I was around her. 😆
@see_the_sus and those memories are the ones that always keep her with you 🙂
Going thru my image library, I found this photo from 1989. I'd forgotten about it. I don't recall who took it, probably another family person, but I was 19 years old.
Whenever things like...death...happen, I start going thru my photos. It gives me solace and helps me grieve.