Family

My family is a close knit group of people.  I know where I came from and there's no denying it :)  I get reminded every time there is a gathering of the group...especially on the 4th of July.  It's about the only time we all get to see each other any more.  But, growing up it was different.  Holiday's were a big deal and we all got together then.  All 25 + of us.  Those are some of the best memories I have from my childhood.  I'm a family kind of girl.  

This summer my husband and I went up to the "motherland," more commonly known as the Upper Peninsula, to celebrate the 4th of July with my extended family.  On our trip up, we were considering whether I should stay up there longer or just head back with him at the end of the week.  You see, my Aunt Gloria was very sick with cancer.  Being healthy and only 52, we figured she had the best chance of fighting it out, but we knew that the kind of cancer she had was very aggressive.  We tried to be hopeful.  She fought strong.  My mother (Gloria's older sister) was planning to stay up and help her for the month of July and I considered staying to help her too.  

As it turned out, our "vacation" up north was tough.  As soon as we got up north, we got in the car and travelled south to my Aunt's house.  She was admitted to the hospital and it wasn't looking good.  I was unnerved.  When we got down to the hospital, only two people could go into the room at a time.  When it was my turn, I was very uneasy.  As soon as I saw her, I had to turn away.  I tried to have the courage not to cry, but my Aunt's body was beaten up, bloated, and disoriented from the Chemo.  I wasn't prepared for what I saw.  The images I had in my head of her were energetic, joyful, hard working, loving, and strong.  The woman in that bed was beaten up and weak.  I didn't know what to say and my eyes just streamed with tears.  My other aunt came up to me and said stop crying and go talk to your Aunt Gloria.  

It was wonderful.  I'll never forget the things she said to me.  She knew all about our move to Chicago, Chris's new job and what I was doing.  She cared deeply about what we were doing and how we liked our new home.  Our conversation couldn't have been longer than 5 minutes before I got asked to leave so others could come in, but I'm so grateful for that time.  Chris got to go in and pray with her, read scripture and be with her too.  The next morning we had to rush to the hospital.  She slipped into a Coma.  It was awful.  We all cried and sat in the waiting room.  It was frustrating that we couldn't surround her and be in with her (stupid ICU rules).  Two of her three kids were there.  There were so many emotions going around.  

My Aunt Gloria was well loved by all of us.  She and my Uncle Gary let 5 of us cousins live with them during the first two years of college.  It was WAY better than the dorms and gave us an opportunity to get to know our littler cousins better.  So, those of us who stayed there had an extra special appreciation and love for our Aunt and Uncle.  

When we were going through the funeral services and all that surrounds that, my Uncle Gary came up to me, hugged me and said, "She loved you, Kristan."  I'll never forget that.  He could have told every one there the same thing, but the thing about it was, it was true.  I never once doubted that she loved me and my brothers and my cousins.  She was an amazing woman!

I can't help but think that God had a plan for all of us being there with her as she passed on.  We all laughed, cried, shared stories, and held on to hope.  The things that bring us together as a group are sometimes highs and sometimes lows, but we always come back to our roots.  Family.