The song when it’s been sung…

For reasons that will very rapidly become apparent, this post (promised in my last as a rounding off to the series which featured our recent visit to the interior) comprises a rare treat; a piece written by The Girl herself.

More I need not say:

Full circle moment.  Or at least it felt like that to me.

One early afternoon in August 1972 my Aunt M called me at my best friend’s house and said I had to come home – my granny’s house actually, but also home.  I was not impressed at being torn away from my friend, but I was ultimately obedient and I went.  When I arrived, I learned that my mom had been rushed to hospital.  One update was that they were doing a tracheotomy and she had a 50/50 chance of survival.  Looking back, I realise now that meant nothing to me – I could only see the 50% as a positive thing.  I had zero experience with death.  We waited for more news.  I told myself that I would wait for one more update and then I was riding my bike to the hospital.  She died of a brain aneurysm before I could get there.  She was 39. 

Skip forward 54 years.  My husband and I are visiting the Interior of the province and catching up with family.  I want to visit Aunt M, my mom’s sister, and the youngest of the family – she is 90 and I don’t get to where she lives very often.  I probably thought that this might be the last time I see her.  She was recently moved from assisted living to long term care and even more recently to a room on a different floor with fewer people with cognitive decline.  This was important because Aunt M is sharp – funny and on it.  She sent me stories of the residents and what they got up to and had me in stitches.  She didn’t even complain about being an island surrounded by people who are living in their own worlds.  She was not impressed by the food unfortunately and had lost weight since she arrived.  She would often ask for more mashed potatoes at meals as she loved them and it was something she found palatable.  Sadly this request was not always granted.  We had a good visit and when she indicated she might like to go to mass we took that as our cue to leave. 

We travelled to the Okanagan and visited friends and stopped by my cousin’s summer place on the way back. We learned that Aunt M had a brain aneurysm early in the morning and my cousin, her husband and daughter were on their way to the hospital.  We followed shortly after.  We learned that she had a massive brain bleed and was at the end of her life.  She was not conscious.  I stroked her hair and talked to her – I told her she was doing a great job – her body knew what to do and all she had to do was let go.  I promised her all the mashed potatoes she could eat – that she would reunite with her husband whom she missed so much and all the people that went before her.  As I had very recent experience (March 2026) of watching my beloved stepmother pass, I could tell that she was very near the end. She passed very early the next morning.

90 is a noble age to pass, I think.  I am not sure my auntie had the easiest life, but her later years were spent with a man she loved – a man who adored her – her daughter, grandchildren, and lots of nieces and nephews who loved her. 

And what is a life really, but the sum of our experiences and the people we love and who love us.  I will miss her and her funny stories and I hope with all my heart that wherever she is there is lots of mashed potatoes.

Rest in Peace