Shannon, do you ever wonder where everyone is going all the time and why they're always in such a rush to get there?
My Auntie Susie died in her sleep on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. She was 65 years of age, born May 8, 1961. She was my Dad's baby sister, and she was a presence in my life (from babysitting me to right up until a few weeks ago) when we had (what I didn't know then was) our final hour-long phone chat on Monday, March 23, 2026. Her unexpected death makes me think about things in a new way. Or maybe I was not seeing things before, and now I'm seeing them clearly, the way they've always been. The difference now is that my vision is wiped clean of the illusions. Auntie was a good person; her purpose was to bring warmth, laughter, and connection to the people she loved most in her life, and she did this throughout her entire life - she stayed on top of the people that she chose to be in her circle of love. And she didn't allow the illusion of time or fantasy to get in the way. She just continued to connect in her way - every day showing up, being present, no matter how li...