I will never forget
calling home all excited about having nailed my Property Law exam and just
chattering on and on, but yet my mother really was not responsive. Long pregnant pauses let me know that
something was wrong. She just let it out
“Peggy died this morning.” I was like “Peggy
who?” My mother said “Your Aunt Peggy.” I remember that was sitting in my car outside
the law office I worked at, my heart dropped.
I was noooooo! She was getting
better. When I last saw my aunt she was
very lethargic and could hardly get around, but later my mom said she was doing
better. I told my employer I just couldn’t
work that day and I went home and put on Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows In April.” And I kept it on rotation for most of that
evening. In the end we found that
congestive heart failure and this lung disease called sarcoidosis eventually
took her out. We didn’t bury her until
Mother’s Day weekend, so I struggled through my law school finals and went home
to pay my final respects. I recall my
sister, Tonya, crying uncontrollably, it was indeed a sad moment for us all. My cousin, her son, seemed so strong, but it
was hard for us all. She was Aunt Peggy,
dear sweet Aunt Peggy; she was momma; she was grandma; a wife. She loved us all, family was family to her. What a way to close out my first year of law
school.
My aunt was
always such a lively person. She was
fabulous! At one point, my aunt had been
a hair stylist, a fashion stylist, and heavens only know what else when it came
to fashion. She was indeed a Diva. She almost always wore her hair slicked back
in a tight bomb. I remember her always
touching up her makeup in a pink compact with this spongy like powder
puff. That was just my Aunt Peggy’s
thing. I realize now when I look through
my closets and peruse through my jewelry and accessory collections it’s all
because of the influence of my Aunt Peggy.
She had style; she had grace, but best of all she had a heart of gold or
these days I would go so far as to say platinum.
She was one of
my cheerleaders. I recall when I
graduated from undergrad she was so proud.
She was so happy for me when I got into law school. And know she would have been even prouder
when I crossed the stage at my law school graduation. I know she was there in spirit, but it still
wasn’t the same.
Ahh to
reminensce…All I can say is cherish your loved ones while they are here. And remember that life is short, life is
fleeting, and therefore, don’t sweat the small stuff, because in the end you
will find that all of it is small stuff.
Do not worry about tomorrow, just focus on today, the moment, the
present… (I have to close now as the tears have yet to quit falling…)
