My Sister

My sister Ellen passed away this morning.
She had fought cancer like no one I have ever seen and now the fight is over and she is at peace.

A week before she died I was at her home and said goodbye to her. I told her that I loved her and I would miss her. Now I am going to learn how much I am going to miss her.

This Friday we will have a small memorial service and Audrey and I will lead that. And already I am thinking about all that I want to say.

About her sense of humor - she is the funny aunt, the cool aunt to my kids. She is always up on what is current in everything. There are some things that may be genetic and she and I share a very similar outlook on what is funny. It may be a "Gersen" sense of humor - but she and I laugh at the same things.

About her generosity - I look around my house and see all kinds of signs of the ways in which she and Tom have given us material stuff - like my dining room table, for instance and the camel hair coat I wear in the winter. But it is more than that. When I was installed at this church - Karl Road Christian Church - the family came down to surprise me. That's the kind of things that they have always done.

About her love of her family - She loved her kids and would do anything for them. Period the end.

About her strength - amazing strength. She was diagnosed with cancer last April and given 6 months to live. She made it over twice that. She worked after most people would have gone on disability, she amazingly made it to a cruise for my birthday in February and she hung on through her daughter's graduation - yesterday. It was sheer grit that kept her going - her strong will.

And so May 31st 2009 is the day of her passing. She died exactly a week to the hour after I said good bye to her. My faith tells me that her suffering and pain is certainly over. I believe that she is in a place of peace with my Mom and Dad.

My heart tells me that I will miss her for the rest of my life.