My Sister

I may (or may not) be away from the blog for a few days. My dear elder sister Maryanne, who battled many health problems for years, has died today. I loved my sister very much; she bravely fought all the physical challenges her illness brought her (like me, she had lupus) and her death was sudden and very unexpected, even by her. My son spoke to her just a few days ago and she seemed very happy, though she was feeling a bit unwell. Her passing was swift (within minutes of experiencing her symptoms, she was in a coma and passed just a short time later) and merciful--she never wanted to linger or suffer.

I loved and admired my sister and I know that she--like all the people who have passed on in my life--Harvey, Maudie, my mother, my friend Joanie--is in a place of light and beyond all suffering. My sister was a brilliant and creative woman who influenced me greatly in my own creativity. To paraphrase Ted Kennedy's eulogy for JFK Jr.,"(she) had every gift but length of years." She was 53 years old.

Trying to comfort my elder daughter today, I said that one of the reasons I believe heaven is a place of bliss is because our loved ones can see us and have awareness of us--and the difference between heaven and earth is that we can't see them and are deprived of their physical presence. What comforts me is that I believe she is in a place of goodness and light, and with all my beloved relatives who have gone before us, and that her love does not end, even though her physical body is gone.

I guess it was hardest today to hear my father cry. I have known him for forty-nine years and have never once heard him do that (he's a tough old guy on the outside). It is terrible to have to know that a parent has lost a child. It should never be that way.

Thank you in advance, dear readers, for all your kind thoughts and prayers for my family.