Do not be afraid - My Aunt Else | Day 177 of my 2023 Journal

In Elsinore, a branch of my family resides. The only one I know is my mothers' fathers sister, now 99 years of age. She approached me at a funeral some ten years ago, told me who she was - as I had never met her before - and asked if she could take my grandfather's place, as he had never been much of a grandfather, and now he was dead anyway. In her straightforward way, she said she would love to be a great-grandmother to my children and happy to get to know my family.

So we did. Adopted each other and quickly grew a family bond that had not existed before. I did not know much about my grandfather, and I never met anyone in my mother's family except her brother and parents, but I have grown close to Else. She has shared her stories and wisdom with us for the past ten years with her smiles, laughter, and unique vibe.

It is a thing to talk to someone who has lived almost a hundred years. The stories she can tell, the perspective. She talked about the silence of the old days, how precious it was. She talks about kindness and understanding, sharing stories about her life very often with the central theme of kindness or the lack thereof. She talks about curiosity, how it drives us all, and how children should be trusted with theirs. She talked about special memories, moments of simple beauty, and how they stand out in her memory.

Her golden advice, the only one she directly offers, is not to be afraid. If you want to live this life and enjoy it - do not ever be afraid.

Interestingly this is one of my major takeaways from the Bible too. And one of my very well-tested experiences. One of our family rules. Fear has no place except as a warning system. If there is fear, we need to listen to it to understand where it comes from and if it is relevant (most often, it is not), so we can leave it and start living again. We can not act from fear or work from fear; we have to pause when it rises and figure it out before we can move on.

I sincerely hope, Else will still be around when we return next summer. She is such a light in my life.

Love and light

Cecilie Conrad

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