Shedding Tears Heals the Soul

My Grandmother's Home Painted by my Aunt Kathy

My last day in Detroit. Alden takes his harem, Aunt Julie, Shirley, Joanne and myself for a farewell breakfast at a truck stop nearby. For me, this is a special treat, for it is an American icon that is so well known around the world and  I am given the chance to experience it. Food portions are huge here and so I opt for a smaller breakfast (just!), by ordering a spinach and feta omelette with toast and coffee. A light breakfast compared to everyone else’s who order a very traditional hot breakfast with the works. How they ate it all, I shall never know, but hands down to them? The never-ending supply of coffee provided by an attentive waitress, was wasted on me. Honestly, I am not a big fan of coffee in North America. It is something that I could not get used to. Breakfast was a lot of fun with a lot of gossips revealed by the girls about Alden and then we all ganged up on the poor man and gave him hell. He loved every minute and we laughed and joked and enjoyed every minute.
We drove back home and dropped both Shirley and Joanne home and the it was time to farewell Alden. It was harder than I expected and tears swelled in both our eyes. He farewelled me with some treasured sentiments and compliments that I shall always hold dear. My aunt and I were left alone for a few hours and in these precious moments we caught up on family memories and shared stories. The greatest story that has a huge impact on me was in relation to my great Aunt Kathy. She is my grandmother’s younger sister and I knew very little about her, until now. My Aunt Julie showed me a book that once belonged to my great Aunt that she had in her shop. She owned a patisserie and had a book on her front counter that customer’s could write their well wishes or compliments. Well, I too am a patisserie and with that knowledge, I cried. Never did I know my connection or love for all things sweet came from and now I know. But what gets more surreal, is that my Aunt never married or had children, as I have not, she was a very giving and emotional woman, as I am and we share a lot of characteristics. At the tender age of six, I awoke one morning confused by my surroundings and felt something strange had happened to me. Well today I got my answer, that was when my great Aunt died. Call me crazy, or whatever one’s belief’s are, mine is that there is so much about life and death and everything in between that we do not yet understand or have answers to. But whatever the reason’s, I believe that their is something of my great Aunt that is continuing to live on through me and that is a beautiful and comforting thing. It was a very emotional morning, but my soul found some ease and I leave richer, fuller and more blessed.
My leaving was never going to be easy and both my Aunt and I were not looking forward to it. Shirley and Joanne came in the afternoon to take me over the US and Canadian border to Windsor, where we would gamble a little at the casino and have dinner. We both cried and could not stop hugging each other. I am blessed for the experience of being with my beautiful Aunt and her wonderful friends. In the one week that  I spent with them I laughed, cried, gossiped, ate great food, saw many wonderful sights, experienced the love of family and friends and felt special and loved. An amazing trip and one that I am very grateful for.
The border crossing was much easier then coming into the States, which I was grateful for. We then drove to the casino which did not take long. Apparently a very popular attraction for the Americans’. Beautiful place and although I am not a gambler, I appreciated the glitz and glamour of the place. I did not bet, so I watched Shirley and Joanne and learned some techniques along the way. They played for a good two hours and then we went to a restaurant for an early dinner. The restaurant was huge and it was divided into sections. There was many different food stands, each serving different variety of food. So many choices but each one was really nice. After our main meals there was just enough room for coffee and dessert. We did not stay long for Shirley and Joanne had to go back across the border. They were kind enough to drop me at my hotel for the night before we farewelled each other. Shall miss their cheekiness and fun. After checking into my room for the night, I walked around the small city of Windsor watching the sun go down over the bay and enjoyed watching the city of Detroit light up and shine.