Always Ours

When a couple marries, families blend. Unconnected people suddenly become connected, and eventually everyone learns to coexist.

Still, there is an invisible division of sorts. You know the one.

It’s the Yours-Mine Line, the subtle separation that exists despite time, marriage or circumstance. It occurs naturally and is generally accepted as an ordinary part of life.

Your brother Kevin. My Uncle Harold. My sister’s best friend, Jane. Your crazy grandmother. See? The Yours-Mine conundrum.

However, at our house there is a slightly different story to tell…

From the first meeting, they were truly family. If not by blood, by something deeper and possibly more meaningful. Their hearts linked and they shared love, laughter and respect. They understood each other, on so many levels.

There was no yours or mine. She was ours—right from the very first hug.

For over two decades my husband and I shared Our Aunt Shirley. She held our hearts in the palm of her hand, taught us more than we ever thought to know about so many things and kept us laughing, even when this journey called life inspired tears. Our Aunt Shirley regaled us with tales from her past, brought joy to the present and foretold our future by peering into the bottoms of our teacups.

She was our family treasure.

Last weekend the sun dimmed, the stars in the night sky twinkled less brilliantly and our world became smaller. Our Aunt Shirley passed on. While we knew in our hearts the sad day had to come, we prayed it would be later rather than sooner.

There are no words to express how much we loved her, or to say how deeply she will be missed.

But while she is gone from this life, Our Aunt Shirley lives on in the hearts of all she touched with her unfailing sense of humor, steadfast love and kind hands. She left a legacy of joy and a wealth of cherished memories. She was a grand woman, and lived an amazing life.

We have no doubt that Our Aunt Shirley is peering down from Heaven, watching over us and giving us guidance and encouragement, love and support. We know she is safe and happy, and entertaining the angels. We feel she has a gentle fingertip on each member of her family, and will always be with us. In our hearts, we believe all this to be true.

Still…

There will never be a day in our lives when we won’t remember—and miss—Our Aunt Shirley. Our Aunt Shirley was truly the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, a blessing to be shared—and one for whom the Yours-Mine Line was no match at all.