Today’s “Jamie’s Gem’s” is a tribute to a very special person in Jamie’s life. Pay attention to the lesson here, it’s a good one. 

“Everything that’s lovely is but a brief dreamy kind of delight.” (W.B. Yeats) 

What happens when we receive shocking news about someone we love? When they are given a short amount of time left to remain on this earth? Or what about if they are taken away suddenly? Those of us left behind are devastated, dazed and heartbroken.  This just happened to me and my family. We lost one of our own. Shortly after we found out that she only had about one to two months left to live, she suddenly passed.

I wanted to write something for her that I could share with her in person; my original intent being to write a meaningful expression of my love as a gift to her. Instead, I am left with a tribute to someone I loved very much. I was so upset that I did not make it up to see her before she left us, but what I am realizing now as I am dealing with my deep sorrow is that whenever somebody dear to us dies, it is never EVER enough time.  Whether they get one month, one year or even 50 years; it is always shocking when they pass, it is always too soon, it is never enough time, their departure will always leave a painful void in our hearts and in our lives.  No amount of time will ever be enough time to be with the people we love….period. 

As John Green writes in the best selling novel, The Fault In Our Stars, “There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There’s .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are just bigger than other infinities. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I’m likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”  I truly couldn’t have said it better myself.  Roberta, I am so SO grateful for our little infinity, for the time we got to spend together. 

Young Roberta on the far left with her family.

Roberta is technically my father’s cousin, however she has always been like an Aunty to me and my siblings; a super cool aunty that is. Roberta followed the direction her heart was pulling her and moved to San Francisco in 1960 after graduating from high school in Hawaii and has lived there ever since with her dear friend Ann Domm. Since retiring, Roberta and Ann have been world traveling together, trying to visit as many places as possible.

Roberta and Ann

Things I loved about Roberta:  She had this amazingly infectious laugh — so hearty, so full of life and joy that seriously roused the entire room to laugh along with her.  She had a heart of gold; she loved her family, friends and her cats Maxy and Eddie so very much.  I can recall so many Christmases spent altogether celebrating at their home in San Francisco.  After dinner we’d always gather in the living room to play some sort of game. I can remember upon many occasions while playing these games laughing so hard that I literally had to excuse myself to the restroom to avoid peeing my pants (and might I add, Roberta’s contagious laugh did not help these near “accidents” from almost happening – haha).  I will treasure these memories, these moments, her laugh, forever and ever. She was truly the spirit of aloha.  The word “aloha” literally translates to “joyfully sharing life” taken from the root words: “alo” = sharing, ”oha” = joy, and lastly “ha” = life.  I hope you know how much I have LOVED joyfully sharing this life with you, Roberta….we ALL have.  You were one in a million. 

Thank you, Roberta, for filling our lives, our hearts with your joyful loving spirit, your jubilant laugh.  Thank you for always wanting to know how my softball and soccer games were going when I was a kid, for always being interested in how my studies at school were going, what boys I was dating, for genuinely being so supportive and interested in how I was coming along as I was finding my place in this crazy world.  You have always been such a “cool Aunty.”  I am only now filled with regret and sorry that time just got away from me. 

But whether she got the opportunity to read this or not, she knew….I know she knew how much I loved her and I will cherish the memories we shared as well as the memories of her beautiful spirit forever and ever.

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy.  They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” (Marcel Proust)

Thank you, my sweet Roberta….I am forever grateful to you for making me so happy and for helping to make my soul blossom.  I love the simple yet sweet Abraham Lincoln quote, “Whatever you are, be a good one”.  And my dear Roberta, I hope you know YOU ARE A GOOD ONE, a treasured one.   I love you.  I know we will all be together again one day in heaven.  I will listen for your infectious laugh and I promise you, I will find you.  We all will!