Saying Goodbye

On Sunday, February 1st, my mom called and told me her aunt Monica's condition had deteriorated. As we discussed the severity of her condition, my mom said she'd be arriving in Israel later that week to spend time with her and help the family out as much as possible. As I hung up the phone, I immediately called Auntie Monica. She answered in a tired and weak tone, and within a minute, the conversation was over. As I put down the phone, I started crying. Something in her voice told me she was readying to give up her fight against cancer.

I want to write so much about this phenomenal woman - a humble, kind and caring individual who I've long admired and looked at like another granny - perhaps that bond was struck due to the many similarities she had with her sister, my Gran ... who knows. But I feel I'd do the impact she's had on my life, especially since I returned to Israel, an injustice. She has been that loving, caring shoulder I needed throughout the early hiccups of Aliyah ... the warm & welcoming home during my army service ... the excited 'Gran' during the highs of my engagement, wedding and birth of my first son. She's been a part of it all, and now she's gone.

I've really struggled to write this blog ... There's so much I want to add and share, but I feel that doing so would just go against the humble & private ways of my dear Aunt. So I'd like to end this entry like this ... When I wrote a blog about my Granny (her sister) a few years ago, she responded with the following:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on my dear sister. I have this wonderful picture of her and I just above my computer -it was taken on one of her visits to Israel to visit you guys – and I look up at it everyday. Yes, she was special – and she had the ability to make everybody that she came in contact with feel that they were special.

I only hope she knew that her last sentence described her perfectly as well.

I will miss you dearly Auntie Monica. I love you.