With Easter last weekend, we celebrated our first holiday back in Ottawa. Walking outside and seeing so many families out enjoying the weather reminded me of how much I loved this four day weekend as a child. It felt like a gift -- a double weekend meant for enjoying family and the beginning of spring.
This year, while Easter weekend still brought sunshine and time with family, it brought sadness too.
The weekend started with sad news from Calgary. I know there are times when there is nothing that can be said or done to make a situation better, but that didn't stop me from wishing I could be there, to give support from nearby instead of across the country.
Our second piece of sad news served as a major reminder of one of the reasons we knew we needed to be home: you just never know how long you have with the people you love. Sunday night, we lost my aunt to cancer. Her battle was short, beginning with a nagging cough at Christmas which turned out to be a lung tumor, and ending last Sunday, with her family surrounding her. She was the wife of my father's youngest brother, a sweet, gentle man we lost almost four years ago, months before we moved to Calgary. Elaine and my uncle Moe were childhood sweethearts, together from the time they were 12.
The progression of her illness was unbelievably quick, and her death has been a shock to everyone. It has also affirmed for me, once again, that we have made the right choice. My heart aches for my cousins who have now lost both their parents, and for their children, who will grow up without their grandparents. I am grateful for two things, though: that I am able to be here to show support, and that there is some solace knowing two childhood sweethearts have been reunited.
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