In Loving Memory

Earlier this week, I got the terrible news that my Aunt Charlene had lost her battle to cancer.  She fought a very brief and very vicious battle.  It just breaks my heart.  I really wish that I had the opportunity to say good-bye.  When someone you love is diagnosed with terminal cancer, you know that time is of the essence.  We thought we had a few months left with her, but cancer took us from her in just a matter of weeks.  The above picture is from My Aunt Charlene's wedding day a little over 6 years ago.  She got married on Evan's 5th birthday and he thought that was so cool.  She truly loved her husband John and I'm so glad that they found each other.

My Aunt Charlene was my mom's older sister. I always thought my she was beautiful.  She had such style and her hair was always perfect.  She had a voice that was probably meant for radio and an eloquent way of speaking.  Instead of just saying something like "How strange!" or "That's odd."  She would say a drawn out, "Oh, that is so bizarre!" She had a laugh that was second to none.  It filled the room and lifted spirits. Aunt Charlene was the mother of my cousins Stefanie and Sean.  Over the years, she fostered two little girls who she fiercely loved.  During an ice storm around 8 winters ago, everyone in the family who lost power stayed with my mom and dad.  She was fostering a brand new baby girl and I got to witness firsthand for a week the loving care she gave.  After her foster daughter was adopted, Aunt Charlene stayed in contact with her family.  In fact, they grew so close, that she once told me that the adoptive mother was like a daughter to her.  Aunt Charlene loved showing off recent pictures of the sweet little girl.  She always had a huge smile on her face as she told me how tall the little girl was and how well she was doing.

The services to say good-bye yesterday were beautiful.  The tribute gave a true reflection of the woman she was.  As you can imagine, my Aunt Charlene's passing has been very difficult on our family.  My cousin Sean lost his mother and his wife in a month's time.  Stefanie was always very close to her mom.  My Grandma Paula and Grandpa Chuck are now trying to cope with losing their child. Your prayers are much appreciated.