f.7 the fluidity of measuring a life
aunt jean
Life is truly a precious thing; once taken away it can never be given back. We spend our lives analyzing life, pursuing “living,” and trying to understand (and largely avoid) death. Invariably, we all lose at living and we begin dying. What, then, is the difference between living and dying? Death.
March 28, 2014: a Friday. June 3, 1927: also, a Friday. Looked at differently, it is a span of…
- 2,739,830,400 seconds
- 45,663,840 minutes
- 761,064 hours
- 31,711 days
- 4,530 weeks
…or 86 years, 9 months, and 26 days. This is the numerical representation of my Aunt Jean’s life. To some that is a very long time whereas to others, it is still too short. How, then, do we measure a life as great as was hers? To steal from Rent, we measure it in love.
My aunt Jean was an amazing woman, and she cannot and will never be summed up in a blog posting. Like all people, she suffered personal tragedies and had great joys in her life. Her children, my cousins Michael, Mary Beth, Danny, Bobby, and Jimmy were unquestionably here proudest accomplishments.
My Uncle Jim, her husband, died 29 years, 1 month, and 14 days after they were married. She was widowed for 32 years, 9 months, and six days. She was a mother for 60 years, 11 months, and 27 days. During all of this, she exhibited unconditional love through the good and the bad. She understood that our legacy was not in words, but in deeds, and her greatest accomplishment was her love of others.
My aunt Jean had many ways of counting her love. Amongst them she was:
- Second eldest daughter and child, of nine siblings
- Mother of five children
- Grandmother of 9 grandchildren
- Aunt to 29 nieces and nephews
She was a cook of legendary quality, the true Italian kind to be certain. Meals were prepared largely, served with extra portions, and one never left her table hungry. She had nicknames for many of her family members, and all of them were given in a combination of love and humor. Even though her given name was Elizabeth, everyone called her “Jean” with various prefixes as appropriate.
Some would say that her life ended on March 28, 2014: I would say that she remains living inside of the remaining six children, 32 grandchildren, and countless great-grandchildren of her own parents, in her children and their spouses, her own grandchildren, and in all of the lives she touched. When I think of her, I will do so by reflecting on all of the amazing moments she provided to me during my life, and of the lessons she taught me along the way.
Now her spirit is free to roam, unhindered by the bonds of age. She rejoins her parents, younger brother Steve, older sister Rose, and at last, her loving husband Jim. A new star has been added to the sky and shines down upon us all, and for this, I am grateful.
—eternus pacis quod gaudium, martera jean—
Elizabeth Jean Cardille Wilson
June 3, 1927 – March 28, 2014
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