Although I was only 11 years old when my great uncle's wife died, I was very close to her. I loved and admired the woman with a thick cough and witty humor; the same cough that would ultimately lead to her passing from this world to the next. She was the first death I would ever really experience with some form of understanding.
Although pets had died before Aunt Vi's passing, nobody had died in my immediate family since my great grandmother Rose - who under Catholic tradition became my Guardian Angel as she died on my third birthday.
Because I was so young when my Grandma Rose died, it really did not affect my life to any great degree at the time and so when my aunt died eight years later, I woke up to the startling reality of human mortality.
Since my aunt's passing, I have become considerably more mindful that I could loose anyone I love at any moment and that I should enjoy the time with these people while I am blessed to have it.
It is still hard to imagine a world without my best friends and immediate family. Although I consider myself to be a young adult, I still can't grasp death fully. My only hope is when it next shows its dark face, I could be rest assured that I spent all the time humanly possible with the person and have said everything I needed and wanted to say before his or her passing onto eternal life into another realm.
I pray that the Lord blesses the souls of my aunt Vi, Grandma Rose and all of my loved ones with eternal life and understanding.