My Aunt Maureen (after whom, as you might have already guessed, I am named), sent me a letter yesterday. Aunt Maureen was my favorite aunt; indeed, she was the favorite aunt of all of my siblings as well as our 3 maternal cousins. She would come visit and invite all our friends over, and throw Pizza-Potato Chip-Pretzel-Popcorn Pajama Parties. One year, she was visiting on Halloween, and she walked all the neighborhood kids down to the graveyard, where we sat in a circle while she told us ghost stories.
She always had a bunch of jokes, and when she mastered sign language (she went deaf at age 18), her jokes got even better, accompanied by her brilliant, expressive movements.
As usual, her letter included a newspaper clipping and some daily affirmation types of sayings. This time, the newspaper clipping was about creating time for oneself and the daily affirmations were quotes from the Dalai Lama.
She said her job stresses her out, but she loves it anyway because she helps people and makes good money (she's a nurse, but she doesn't keep any of the money, because she's also a Franciscan Missionary Nun who took a vow of poverty. her siblings joke she had to take a vow of poverty because she never would have survived a vow of silence.)
My favorite part of the letter was about Brokeback Mountain. She said she can't stop talking about it, and that everyone should go see it. She said it was a beautiful, but tragic story, and she hoped it would open people's hearts to realize that the message of Jesus was LOVE, and the only kind of love Jesus didn't care for was love of money.
I'm so lucky to have my aunt Maureen.
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