Postings from Germany

My Last Aunt

Dear Aunt Mary died. No one would call her boring. Or bland. Or ordinary. N e v e r.

As a child, I thought she was the black sheep.  Divorce!  Multiple marriages!  What scandal!  Ohhh, and she smoked.  Ohhhh and she was known to drink a beer.  Or two.   Oooohhhh!

Unfortunately, the cancer came back. Fortunately, the cancer didn't dangle and dawdle and stretch and hang around and make her suffer overly much. It all went rather quickly. Sad for us, but thankfully not for her.

Did she graduate from high school? I'm not sure, but I don't think so. Does that mean she wasn't smart? Absolutely not - "smart as a whip" as folks in her generation would have said. "Would have" because that generation is about gone.

Werner and I visited her last year, and what I remember is how much fun it was to be with her! No question was out of bounds. No topic was off limits. It didn't matter that she repeated herself - which she did. She plowed ahead with probing questions - and you couldn't hide behind a half answer because she'd call you out. She could smell a lie all the way around the block - and she'd tell you so.

There was a lot to admire about this lady. I don't know any more like her. That's too bad.

Bless you, Aunt Mary.