I chose the name SusieQ for this blog as a tribute to my Aunt Sue. SusieQ is what family members, most are deceased now, called her years ago.
Aunt Sue is a remarkable woman. She is 92 years old, lives independently, and is in excellent health. One thing that amazes me is that her handwriting is beautiful. She told me that she went for her annual checkup recently. The only thing the doctor could find wrong with her was a buildup of ear wax.
Aunt Sue has devoted grandchildren, however her husband and both her children have passed on. Just a few years ago, her daughter died in her arms after a brief, heartbreaking battle with brain cancer. Despite these losses and the pain associated with them, Aunt Sue is happy. Having grandchildren who love her and keep her involved surely makes a difference. You can tell that she is happy. She gushes with enthusiasm when she talks to you and, when she becomes tickled over something, she giggles like a school girl. SusieQ is a fitting name for her even today.
If you were to ask my Aunt Sue why she is happy, I would expect her to tell you that it is because she trusts God and knows there is an afterlife where she will be with her husband and children again someday. She waits for this cheerfully.
Is it any wonder that I want to pay tribute to this woman?
(I wrote this piece in late 2005, but kept it as a draft for years. Today I attended Aunt Sue's funeral. She was 103 when she passed away. I celebrate her departure from this earth, because I know she is with her husband, her children and a great-grandchild who went before her. It is time to publish this tribute to her.)
