Beverly (middle) with her sister and my dad 2009
My cousin Beverly J. passed from this world to the next. She had been fighting for a long time, perhaps longer than expected. But then it was time for her to leave and so it was today.
I am sad. I am sad for her husband and for her son. I am sad for her sisters and her mother. I am sad that they don’t have her in their lives to call or visit. I am sad for the suffering she endured. And I am sad I won’t hear her say my name again while we hug as cousins do.
I remember when she and her then boyfriend (I don’t think they were married yet?) were in charge of us one night when our parents went out for something. We younger cousins kept to ourselves. Not sure what they did. Probably whatever young people in love do while babysitting… I remember when she was pregnant with her son and at the end of a family party at her parents’ house, I kissed her tummy to say good night to her baby… I remember her smiles and her dimples. I’ll miss her smiles…
It’s easy to be sad but in the midst of all of this, I remember that she knew love– her husband’s love, her son’s love, her sisters’ love, her parents’ love. Maybe now she even knows better the depth of all this love for her. So now I cry a little because she’s gone but after all this sorrow, I will remember her with joy and love.
Journey well into the next, my dear cousin…