Sunday, March 9th, was a sad day for the Chilean side of my family. My dear great-aunt, who my whole life has been a grandmotherly image in my life, passed away.
For the last couple of years her kidneys had been failing, and she had been getting dialysis done every other day since then. The dialysis had been taking a toll on her body, and this once chubby woman was now skin and bones. She had trouble walking and could barely get out of bed, but was learning to use a walker and getting physical therapy in bed to strengthen her muscles. She had had near-death experiences for as long as I can remember, but every single time she seemed to kick death in the face and carry on living. She was a strong and stubborn woman when it came to defying death.
In February, I received a message saying my great-aunt was living her last days. My mom flew to Chile the very next day. My great-aunt’s condition seemed to improve, and so my mom returned to California. Five days later, my great-aunt was gone.
Monday morning, I received the message with the news of her passing. I gasped, remained in shock for a few seconds, and then started crying uncontrollably. I always pictured my great-aunt as a woman who was able to continuously run away from death and live forever, but she was gone. I could not believe she was gone.
My great-aunt was a youthful 80-year-old who loved me and cared for me like a grandmother, making me eat more than my stomach could hold, putting blankets on me whenever she was cold (even though I was clearly not), and asking me about boys and life and school and friends. She lived two blocks away from me for most of my life, I saw her regularly, she made us laugh, she spoiled us, she cared for us, she fed us, and she took us on trips and adventures to many places. I traveled with her to Argentina, Uruguay, and many parts of Chile and the United States. She was the youngest 80-year-old I’ve ever known, and she dressed the part too. She was pampered, more hip than I could ever be, and sassy.
However, on Sunday, March 9th, God knew He had to bless our family too. That same night, at around the same time that my great-aunt passed away, a new light came into our family. My dear cousin Oscar and his wonderful wife Daniela were due with their first child at the end of March. I was secretly hoping they would give me a birthday present and I would share a birthday with this new little bundle of joy, but God had other more beautiful and more perfect plans, and sent him down a wee bit early.
It was as if God said “I’m taking this angel, but I’m handing you this other one,” then He took my great-aunt to be by His side, and He sent down Rafael. This little miracle gave me peace in believing that my great-aunt was in Heaven. Then the next day God gave me an image of my great-aunt by His side, waving down at me, smiling and full of joy, with no more pain.
My great-aunt Aida was preceded in death by her husband Edgar Meier, in April of 1989. His ashes remained in a sealed gold box on her bedside table, and since then her wishes were to be cremated and have her ashes and her husband’s thrown into the ocean together. Her wishes are being honored.
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In loving memory of Aida de las Mercedes Núñez Núñez
* March 15th, 1933
† March 9th, 2014
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In joyful welcoming of Rafael Alonso Gómez Ortega
Born March 9th, 2014
