Sweet Slumber AOM (Aunt of Mine), Love NOY (Niece of Yours)

My mother's youngest sister was buried today in Arco, Idaho. Connie died in Blackfoot at my cousin Lisa's house. I'm reassured that she was surrounded by family and passed away peacefully. She was 64.

I can't remember exactly when or why I first contacted Aunt Connie after more than a decade of no communication. I suspect I felt compelled when I got married in '92 (…there's a baby blanket she made for Cecilia stored away for my future grandchildren.) I bought Aunt Connie a "mail station" and we corresponded frequently via email for a couple of years. "AOY" and "NOY" were how we signed off.

We didn't communicate a lot the last few years as she was often disoriented and depressed. She had suffered decades of pain from multiple surgeries intended to correct her spine…I'll never know how she endured through all of that. Surely she's at Peace now. Hopefully she's in a Place where she's reunited with my mother and her mother…