Letter #91 - Amie

Everything in life is cyclical.  We're born, we live, we die, and the circle continues.  I have seen so many cycles in my life, not just the human life, but experiences, friendships, all kinds of cycles.  Last fall, one cycle closed for my husband, but it opened a whole new series of cycles for both of us.  He lost a friend of his to cancer, which was devastating to him, however as a result we were introduced to his friend's family and circle of friends, who folded us in with their love and support instantly.  The result has been a whole new batch of friendships for both of us to foster and grow, and I have been so incredibly thankful for that legacy that Andy has left us.

Letter #91 is going in tomorrow's mail to Andy's daughter Amie.  The first time I met Amie I saw exactly how I have always pictured myself when I will ultimately lose my dad.  She was a mess.  Still smiling and trying so hard to be strong and to pay tribute to his life, his wishes and all of the beautiful and wonderful things he stood for, but she was in so much pain that I just wanted to fold her into my arms and cry with her... and we had never met before.  As time has passed I have seen her several other times, and while she has gotten stronger it is clear that the loss of her father has completely rocked her to her very core.  Even the thought of losing my own dad puts me in touch with those emotions, and I can empathise very deeply.  At the same time, she pushes to move on, to be a strong and wonderful wife and mother, and to be a friend to those who choose to be in her life... including me.  While we don't spend a whole lot of time together one-on-one, I have felt a strong connection to her, and I very much hope that our friendship will continue to grow.


I decided to write Amie to send her some love and support, and to remind her that I was grateful she has entered my life, even if we aren't the closest of closest friends.  She and I have tried a few times to get together and it's never quite worked out due to schedules, etc, so I reminded her of my desire to get that together sometime and for us to spend some time hanging out and just relaxing.

Letter #73 - Aunt Pam

I've mentioned that I'm not always the best granddaugher.  I'm also not always the best niece.  My aunts on my mum's side of the family got my grandma's writing gene.  They send cards at least monthly (often times more frequently than that) they send little gifts with each holiday, they drop things off for me that they were getting rid of and thought I may want, or things they just happened to see out somewhere that they picked up... they really are great at keeping in touch and letting me know how much they love me and that they think of me often.  I am not good at returning the favour.  I almost always get a thank you note in the mail for gifts or unexpected hand me downs, but beyond that I'm not usually good at just popping a note in the mail to say hi.  Today I decided to work on that.  So Aunt Pam gets letter #73.

Aunt Pam is sister #2 of 5 in my mum's family.  She loves dogs and used to take my cousin and I shopping all the time.  She is an incredible bargain shopper and would get us the best deals on really great clothes, jewelry and makeup.  She would always be giving us these goody bags of freebies she would get places, and shared her fine jewelry collection with us.  Her husband passed away a few years ago and life changed dramatically.  As a result, I've been even worse at keeping in touch with her, something I feel badly about but haven't really known how to remedy very well.

I sent her a note today pretty much just to say hi.  I included some photos of our kitties as she often sends us treats for them, and a photo of my husband and I from our honeymoon, since she hasn't gotten to see any of those photos yet.  I really hope the letter catches her on a good day, and brings a smile to her face to know I've been thinking about her.  The anniversary of my Uncle's death is coming up soon, so I know that's weighing on her.  It has been extremely difficult on her coming to terms with losing him (understandably so!)