(Letter to the Editor - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

In a couple of days it will have been five years since my mom passed away. She survived my dad by 20 years. Some ways it seems like she’s been gone a long time and in other ways not long at all. I had a nice talk with my sister yesterday. We spoke of our mom and our good friend Norine. They were both active in several things including AARP, the Wood County Senior Center, and the Vienna Senior Center. They lived long full lives but it was still hard to let them go.

Mom was a real people person, if you know what I mean. She never knew a stranger. She loved singing karaoke and going dancing, especially when the band my sister and brother-in-law are in performed. Those are ways I’m a lot like mom. We also loved to shop for hours at Joann Fabrics and the craft stores. We would talk about all the stuff we wanted to sew or make. That’s where my sister and I are different. She doesn’t like to shop. Although she is good at a lot of things, she’s not very crafty either.

My sister told me of someone she knows whose father recently passed away. They had some sort of falling out and weren’t close. That’s so sad. My husband didn’t get along with everyone in his family in later years. That’s hard for me to understand. I’ve always loved my family, even with all our faults. I’m crazy for my sister who’s 10 years younger than me. Apparently, she has always been fond of me, also. In a box of things Mom saved there was a poem my sister wrote about me in 1978 when she was 15 or 16. It is so beautiful. Here’s the poem:

My Sister

Thank you Lord for creating someone called my sister,

She’s wonderful and there’s no one quite like her.

She’s kind, loving, forgiving, and sweet,

She’s someone I’d like everyone to meet.

If I have a problem she’s always there.

She lightens my load and my every care.

Help me Lord that I might be,

Someone as loving and happy as she.

Why do some people fight and hold grudges? We all make mistakes. We can have misunderstandings. We are all human. But why not forgive and let the love for family grow deep? Sometimes things need to be talked over and other times just let go. I don’t want to waste time being bitter and unhappy. Hope you don’t either. If you are fortunate enough to have family around, make sure they know how much you love them. God bless,

Bonita (Bonnie) Eaton

Vienna