Sunday, February 29, 2004

An unexpected visit to Queens

This morning, Liz and I went to Queens for the funeral service for my mother's aunt who passed away on Friday. Some of you who know me might remember that my great aunt and uncle lived on Park Place in Brooklyn and that we used to visit them occasionally since we moved to New York over four years ago. My great uncle, her husband, died last summer, she had moved to her daughter's home in New Jersey, and her health had taken a few bad turns lately. It was a touching service. The two eulogies, one given by a neighbor from Brooklyn, the other by her son-in-law, reminded me of my aunt's love for family and friends, her garden, and her neighborhood. Liz pointed out that she also had a great love for animals; she and her husband kept cats for most of their lives, and after their elderly cat died last year, they got a new one-year-old cat. Even at the end of her life, she was still making jokes about the care she received at the hospital (she wasn't happy with the amount of salt in her IV drip) and enjoying the time she had with her family. My great aunt was a wonderful, funny, special woman, and I'll sincerely miss her.

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