Fact: I am and have all my life found myself surrounded by Capricorns. I’m not sure if other signs experience as much astrological camaraderie as I (and I presume all other goats) do, but my feelings of satisfaction at collecting Capricorns is strong. A few of my earliest Capricorn connections came in the form of my maternal grandmother, my aunt (sister of my mother) and my beloved cousin, my very first Kevin, who was born the day after I was (son of my aforementioned aunt.) Since then I’ve delighted with each addition as I gathered a group of Capricorn friends and acquaintances.
Switching gears… (I’m going to come back around, I promise.)
Have you seen the CBC show called Hello Goodbye? It’s set in Toronto International Airport and host Dale Curd goes around asking people about their story – who they’re picking up, who they’re saying goodbye to, etc. It’s no coincidence that they segments that make it to air are always the ones that are the most heartfelt and touching. This is the one show that we make a rule around: no distractions while we’re watching it – because we need to give it our entire focus. No surprise, we often end up having strongly emotional reactions.
One of my strongest came in episode four of season one, an episode titled Honour the Past when, during the first segment, Dale met a woman who was waiting on the arrival of her aunt. Her aunt was traveling to Toronto from Bequia to attend the funeral of her sister, the woman’s mother. Her loss was recent and raw and she speaks so clearly and strongly about it. When asked what she is feeling as she waits for her aunt, she says,
I feel like every time I hug a woman who was instrumental in my life with my mom, I just weep.
As with every segment, this one ends with her aunt arriving and the cameras following as the woman and her aunt embrace. They hold each other for a long time and the woman who was interviewed finally breaks down and cries. It’s beautiful and touching moment of connection and for me, there was even more to it. It was something unspoken, something that opened my eyes to a truth I had never stumbled upon before: the truth that my aunt is the closest connection that I could ever have to my mother and that is irreplaceable. I adore my mom and without surrounding it with these exact words or feelings, I have always felt a close attachment to my aunt, Frances, my mom’s only sister. I have enjoyed a lifetime of relishing her storytelling and devouring her adventures. I’ve admired her generousity of spirit and her outgoing nature. As young kids, living just one block away and later just one city away, she was like a second mother to me and her sons were like my extra brothers. I still love listening to her talk about the things Kevin and I did as kids (the parents swear we had a secret language only the two of us could understand) and especially the story about the period of time between when I was born and when Kevin was born 27 or so hours later. Having her in my life has shaped me in ways that I hope to spend the rest of my life discovering and I will be forever grateful for our relationship.
That’s my mom on the left, me, Frances in the centre and Amy on the right.
Happy birthday, Aunty Frances!
Watch the first six minutes of this episode if you want to see the story I mentioned above.
