Oh mama, don’t forget about us! It’s 6am and I’m giving the girls last minute squeezes as I rush out the door to pick up my sister. We’re headed to LAX, going through the motions of the quickest 36-hour trip we’ve ever taken, our minds are likely not to catch up until we return. LAX → JFK → CT, CT → JFK → LAX. We’ll be in vehicles longer than any one place.
My aunt passed away, my dad’s sister, the eldest of 6. She’s the first aunt I’ve lost, the first family member of my parents’ generation we’ve lost. It’s been a flurry of grief and logistics, text threads between cousins about sorrow, flight times, last words, and snow socks. Dress warmly, it'll be a different kind of cold.
We pull up to the house, after a two hour drive from the city, the different kind of cold wind chill rushing us in. The door opens and suddenly an unfamiliar neighborhood seems like we’ve known it all along, my parents greeting us, quickly followed by the rest of the family. And even as the layers come off, we find warmth. The hugs and hellos, puffy-eyed smiles, fruit on the table.
Don’t forget to write the card, I’m reminded, as I spot it laying open on the kitchen counter. Each of us has found our corner to tuck in our thoughts. Yes, togetherness in the chapel tomorrow, and here, an offering of words to carry our presence in the aftermath.
Connection, any human to human moment where someone is seen, known, or heard. This is what keeps us thriving. So as we celebrate National Card and Letter Writing as a way of fostering just that, we’re offering a free one on us when you purchase any four single greeting cards. Send a card a week, keep one for Mother’s Day coming up, whether it’ll be happy or hard for someone you love. I know I’ll be doing the same.
Connect again soon,
Pat
