Member-only story
And Then My Sister Passed Away
Right after I had written this article
I wrote this article a few days before I got the dreadful news that my sister had died. She had spent a week in hospital with a pancreatic infection. The prognosis was good and she was improving. But it was not to be.
She was 56, young and healthy. I had been with her two months prior to my visit to South Africa where she lived. I live in Canada. The last time I saw her was 2019. Covid made the subsequent trips difficult so I hadn’t seen her or my parents, the real reason for the trip, in five years.
My goal has been to visit South Africa every two years. Mom and Dad are 85 and 87 years old respectively and the Lord knows when that call will come. The call for my sister’s passing came at 4 am Monday morning. I braced myself but when I heard it was my sister, the shock was overwhelming.
The first time I felt this depth of grief was when my grandmother died 30 years ago. I know I will feel it again soon. I don’t wish it on anyone. It hurts.
I’m glad I went to South Africa when I did. On a personal note, she helped get me a meeting with a publisher in South Africa who, if all goes well, will place my books in the public school system. I would owe it all to her. As it stands now, I owe the opportunity to her. That is enough.