My favorite Aunt in the whole world is my Aunt Joan. She is my mother\’s younger sister and I have some fantastic memories of her from my childhood. She was always bubbly, gregarious, fun-loving and pleasant to be around. She loved her parents, her sisters, her children, her nieces and nephews and her grandchildren with a passion. Everyone knew when Joan was in the room. Her laugh was something akin to a \”cackle\”, and she used it often. Remember \”Janice\” from the sitcom \”Friends\”? It wasn\’t unusual to hear Joan screech an \”Oh my gawwwwd!\” I saw her fairly frequently when I was young, but only a few times since I left Illinois after college.
I speak of my Aunt Joan in the past tense now because she died last night.
Last year, Joan was diagnosed with cancer. Initially, the doctors were not optimistic and gave her just a few months to live. However, she was quite a fighter as she braved the treatment, and the doctors were quite impressed at her progress. I saw her last winter at my nephew\’s bar-mitzvah, and she seemed just like her old-self, only a little older.
A month ago, my mother emailed me and told me that the cancer was back and that it didn\’t look good. The doctors were speculating that she had no more than 4-6 months to live. I am planning to travel to Chicago to see my family over Thanksgiving and was hoping to see my favorite Aunt at that time.
I will never get the chance.
My mother called last night to tell me the sad news. The cancer had spread just about everywhere but her brain. My mom joked that it made sense because Joan was always a bit \”nutty\” to begin with.
We cried together and I expressed my sorrow for our family\’s loss.
Needless to say, we have cut our Arkansas vacation short and are now back in Oklahoma. Tomorrow morning we hop a plane to Chicago where Mary and I will spend the next couple days mourning our loss alongside my extended family. And I\’m sure it will turn into a celebration of Joan\’s life.
I had really hoped to see my Aunt and speak with her one more time, if nothing else to tell her how I loved her. At the very least, I had intended to phone her when I returned from vacation. That will never happen and I will live with that regret for the rest of my life. I missed an opportunity and I hope I have learned a valuable lesson.
Don\’t wait until tomorrow to tell someone you love them. Don\’t wait till tomorrow to reach out to someone who is hurting or in need. Tell them while it is still called today.
Farewell to my favorite Aunt. You are gone, but you will never be forgotten.