Sometimes life doesn’t happen the way you expect. A couple of weeks ago, my family went up to Long Island to visit family. On the way up, we had lunch with my aunt Sonja, spending several pleasant hours with her before heading farther out on the island.
We had several perfect days with my Aunt D on the island. She’ll be 89 this week, and has health issues, but she’s still a sharp, strong lady in every way that counts. Naturally, though, we worry about how much longer she will be with us.
So when we got the call from New York the next week, we were shocked to hear that Sonja had passed away. We had known of several health concerns she’d had over the winter, as well as ongoing pain from knee and hip replacement surgery, but she had seemed okay when we saw her.
So this past Sunday and Monday, we gathered to say goodbye to my aunt Sonja. She loved car racing, traveling all over the circuit with my Uncle Edward and her daughter. My aunt was always fashionable and put-together, not a hair out of place. She filled her glass with Pinot Grigio and the room with her smile and laughter. Her wanderlust was epic–she wanted to fly off to someplace new as soon as she came home.
But as far as she might roam, her heart was always with her family. When she lost her husband 30 years ago, she made it on her own. But lightning struck twice, and she found a second partner to adventure through life with, a man who stood steadfast to the end.
The treasure of Sonja’s heart was her daughter, who shared her mother’s roaming spirit. Although her own adventures kept her away often, she and Sonja remained close, and their love will never die.
Our unexpected goodbye to Sonja occurred on the date of the eclipse–a cosmic sendoff if ever there was one. As a cousin said, it seemed only fitting for a woman whose nickname was “Sunny”.
Godspeed, Sonja. We are so glad we got to see you one last time. We will miss you.
Goodbye to Sonja: A Cosmic Sendoff
Sometimes life doesn’t happen the way you expect. A couple of weeks ago, my family went up to Long Island to visit family. On the way up, we had lunch with my aunt Sonja, spending several pleasant hours with her before heading farther out on the island.
We had several perfect days with my Aunt D on the island. She’ll be 89 this week, and has health issues, but she’s still a sharp, strong lady in every way that counts. Naturally, though, we worry about how much longer she will be with us.
So when we got the call from New York the next week, we were shocked to hear that Sonja had passed away. We had known of several health concerns she’d had over the winter, as well as ongoing pain from knee and hip replacement surgery, but she had seemed okay when we saw her.
So this past Sunday and Monday, we gathered to say goodbye to my aunt Sonja. She loved car racing, traveling all over the circuit with my Uncle Edward and her daughter. My aunt was always fashionable and put-together, not a hair out of place. She filled her glass with Pinot Grigio and the room with her smile and laughter. Her wanderlust was epic–she wanted to fly off to someplace new as soon as she came home.
But as far as she might roam, her heart was always with her family. When she lost her husband 30 years ago, she made it on her own. But lightning struck twice, and she found a second partner to adventure through life with, a man who stood steadfast to the end.
The treasure of Sonja’s heart was her daughter, who shared her mother’s roaming spirit. Although her own adventures kept her away often, she and Sonja remained close, and their love will never die.
Our unexpected goodbye to Sonja occurred on the date of the eclipse–a cosmic sendoff if ever there was one. As a cousin said, it seemed only fitting for a woman whose nickname was “Sunny”.
Godspeed, Sonja. We are so glad we got to see you one last time. We will miss you.