My sister Claudia left us too soon. She passed July 29th last year. In particular this month will be a hard one on those she left behind. Collage-like images float in my mind more frequently now, images of Claudia and me growing up. Images of my sister laughing her head off when I blurted out a smartass retort–or–like one time, rushing to meet up with her in our backyard, badminton racket in hand, falling down the stairs and landing in a prayer position. If she was Abbott then I was definitely Costello.
When not laughing at my foibles, Claudia loved to read, and read and read some more, as did our mother, as did her husband Jim's mother Marge. At her service, one woman shared how she stumbled upon my sister on her lunch break, book in hand, journal in other, writing copious notes on what she'd just read. These notes made their way as reviews on Amazon, I've read some, startled at the breadth of my sister's intellect. But then as a student, A's came easily to her, and she accelerated into A groups effortlessly, in a town that made it clear "outsiders" couldn't be nearly as smart as their homegrown children–(we were transplanted from the West Coast). My smart sister beat the provincial snobbishness in Fairfield County with aplomb. And I suspect some of those A's weren't always the result of burning-the-candle late at night, she had a mind like a steel trap, it absorbed, then forever stored incredible amounts of information.
In memory of my sister's keen intellect, and my mother's and brother-in-law's mother Marge, I plan to create something to honor their love of reading. For me, this is materializing in a future Free Little Library in our garden. I discovered when walking around Lewisburg with Jim that there are several Free Little Libraries dotted around the charming historical section of this town. I often wonder if Claudia stopped to peek in them on her daily walks. If you reading this blog post would like to honor my sister's memory, I implore you as I did last year when reading her eulogy–to read a good
book, read one today, or share one with a child, or donate to your local library in memory of a loved one who's passion to read matched my sister's. I think Claudia would happily
approve.
To visit Little Free Libraries in Lewisburg PA, check this Pinterest post out:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/537969117960021314/
1 comment:
Thanks for this lovely memory of Claudia! Today in her memory, I gathered up books I for others to read and I'm donating them to our local "Read to Feed" book store. Books are sold at a reasonable price and all proceeds are given to the local food pantry. I think Claudia would like the triple whammy concept here-- books are recycled, books are available to others inexpensively, books are helping to feed hungry families in need. Glad Claudia enriched my life.
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