Aunt Melinda

My Aunt Melinda died last night. I CANT believe I just wrote that. Its a sentence that I have never typed before. Its absurd and surreal. This is impossible. It can't be real.

Yesterday morning I was thinking about jokes. My family likes to tell jokes. I was trying to think of some to tell one of my co-workers, but I couldn't remember any. I got my phone out and thought to call my Aunt Melinda. She would know some great jokes. I have no idea why I did that. My Aunt and I are pretty close. But I don't talk to her on the phone very much or anything. I just thought to call her. I didn't though. I figured she was busy. Turns out, she was in the hospital. Her kidneys and Liver were failing.

My mother called me last night and said, my Aunt Melinda is in the hospital and it was very serious. I worried. I thought, this could be life threatening. I thought in the next few days I might have to start thinking about how she might be possibly dying. I understood how serious it was, but I thought there would be time to process it. I thought there would be time to see if she could fight it. About 2 hours later my mom called and said that she won't make it through the night.

What!? How can this be? Two Hours. She was one of my favorite people who will always be there. Two hours later. She won't make it though the night.

And she didn't. My Aunt Melinda died just before midnight last night. And I can't believe I just said that.

My family is struggling with this. I tend to handle deaths pretty well. This morning when I got up and found out that it was really true, I accepted it pretty well. People often say things about Heaven and spirits and things like that. For me, I always really believed that those things were true. Some people think these things, but when death comes, they have a tough time with them. I really don't. I really feel those emotions. When I heard that she had died. I immediately thought of her in Heaven with my Granny and I gave a little smile.

I am stunned and shocked. Its hard to process it all. I am very sad for my family. I hope they will be ok. But when they say she's in a better place, I believe it. I really do. I have heard the saying that both Birth and Death are doorways to new worlds, and I believe that. I also believe that God has a plan for everyone. Some of this sounds like crap. But I believe its true. I really do.

I love you Aunt Melinda. I thank you for the time I spent with you and I will never forget you.

Your Nephew
-Tom