Haiku to My Aunt

One of the hardest times in my life was the final days of watching and waiting while my father died from kidney cancer. He died at home. We took care of him--my mother, my sisters, my grandma, my aunt and myself. We were together 24/7 tending to my father's physical needs. My sisters and I grew closer to our grandmother and aunt during these days. We did not know them very well. For some reason, extended family was not a big part of my childhood, and we visited rarely. If one good thing came out of my father's illness and subsequent death, it was that I came to know these strong, compassionate, resilient  women I was related to--my father's mother and sister.

It's been over 14 years, and my grandma has since passed. My aunt and I have kept in touch. Through facebook, we are sharing our lives with each other. I love that. We can laugh and celebrate and cry with each other with the help of technology. We have visited each other's homes, but not as often as we wish we could. She is an important part of our lives. I hope she realizes how special she has become to me over the years. She is my aunt, a tie to my father, a friend, and overall, a pretty terrific person.

Today's haiku is dedicated to my aunt, whose birthday is today, who I miss seeing, and I'm so happy we came to know each other, even if it was through sadness and grief.

We need to visit

And have dinner, and talk,

And laugh, face to face.