Many Partings

Shortly after the New Year my great aunt (my grandmother's older sister) died. She would have been 100 had she made it to February. She was a kind woman and was able to keep her mind and body healthy up until very recently. My grandmother didn't know about her sister's death because she suffered from advanced Alzheimer's disease and been so afflicted for many, many years. Last Saturday I visited my Gram and she had a cough, but otherwise seemed like her old self. On Thursday she died, about two weeks after her sister. I can't help but think that her older sister visited my Gram her from beyond the veil of death and invited her to move on. I hope that both of them find a place of equal kindness, warmth and cheer that they helped create for me while we all lived together here.