Remembering Lois

I got a call and an email from my Mom. My Dad's sister, Lois died. She had cancer and finally lost the battle when it metastasized to her liver. I was thinking about it and my Dad has lost all but one of his siblings. The hardest loss for me was my Aunt Leah who died last summer. Anyone who is close to me knows about my Aunt Leah and her sideways squeezy hugs. She was one of the most down-home genuinely good and kind women I've ever encountered. Since she had 7 kids, she was tranquil no matter how much noise and confusion was erupting around her. Lois, on the other hand ran a quieter household, raising three daughters and caring for her home and husband. She too had a most generous nature, every year she made raspberry jelly as gifts for the family and at Christmas time there were handmade rag rugs and caramels (each perfectly cut and wrapped in wax paper and packed solidly into gift boxes). Hillard, her husband has Alzheimer's and Lois took care of him as long as she was able. It's sad to think that those traditions will be gone with her. Every time I pick raspberries I'll think of Lois. I'll remember her donning her floppy garden hat and her gloves to work out in the garden and her quiet shy smile. The world lost a little of it's grace with her passing.