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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Lioness Sleeps Tonight


On my way back to New York from Oaxaca I called my daughter from the airport in Atlanta to say the flight was actually boarding on time. I would be home about 12:30AM. My luggage was still in Mexico so I was traveling light. There was an edge to her voice and a slight hesitation.


"I have something to tell you, but maybe I should wait 'til you're here....I'm sorry Mom....Aunt Marie died in her sleep Saturday. We decided not to call you, to wait, because what could you do? Besides, you know Aunt Marie wouldn't want you to be sad on your vacation."

You know that feeling when your mind detaches from your body and you seem to be floating, observing reality? Aunt Marie was my godmother, a fierce, proud Leo who protected those she loved whether they wanted protection or not. She gave me a subscription to Astrology Magazine when I was fourteen and always let me know if the year would be auspicious or freaky according to the stars. She never judged me, accepting my eccentricities and encouraging my creativity for my entire life. How blessed I have been to have had her watching over me all these years.


"Baby, this isn't sinking in...I know what you told me, but it's so hard to wrap my head around it."

"I know Mom. The wake is tomorrow, the funeral is Wednesday."


The flight home was a bit surreal. I tried to process the fact that she was really gone. It wasn't happening that night. Before I left New York I had a premonition that someone in the family would leave us, but I chalked it up to stress and the usual free-floating anxieties. I put it out of my mind. She left on November 1, which is Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, a very sacred day. It is just like her to make a grand exit. In her eulogy the word 'formidable' was used more than once. I'm certain she would have had a good laugh for she was indeed formidable and irreplaceable. My Marie Dear, I will miss you so until we meet again. Sweet dreams my lioness.



Photo ~ Marie and Jane Bode ~ Aunt Marie and Mom back in the day

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