Staring into my aunt's and uncle's past

Life's sunset
Cote St. Luc, QC
March 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Sometimes inspiration strikes you when you least expect it, in the most unexpected places.

As we first took in my father-in-law's new room at the geriatric care hospital, I looked out the window and realized it was directly across the street from the building where my great aunt and great uncle used to live. I have fond memories of childhood visits with them. And later, as we grew up, got married and had our own kids, I remember Auntie Freda and Uncle Benny doting over our little ones in their small, homey living room. They were remarkably good souls, and seeing their old home from here gave me a dose of comfort at a time when I really needed it.

They've been gone for years, but their apartment remains in my mind as an anchor point on the map, a safe space where they gently watched over us and where we always felt like we belonged. We should all have places like this to tuck into our memories, to hold onto tightly when life gets rough.

I told my FIL where we were, and explained the connection to my family, but the ravages of what he's facing being what they are, I don't know how much he understood. Still, I've got to believe that in some way, he knows he's in a safe place, with the memories of some very special people keeping an eye out for him from just across the way.

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