This is probably my favorite picture of my sister Jane, taken by me in the most recent years. She looks great in pink, and was still feeling well and healthy. I took this photo in October of 2006 with a flash, it was daytime, but appears dark. It was a beautiful day, and we had "hung out" on her wooden deck in the back of her building, just drinking coffee and talking. Jane had Zinnias and marigolds growing in flower pots all around the deck, and it looked like a country cottage. At the top, above this photo of Jane, is the back of a letter that I received from her only two days after my visit, typical of my sister, very warm and loving. I have kept all of Jane's letters and cards, and I was touched to find all of my many cards to her and and her youngest son, saved in boxes, when I cleaned up her home. I love you Jane.
Here is my sister in the late summer of 2009, already one year into her (unknown to us) diagnosis with cancer. Jane still looked very beautiful for a mother of three and and almost 56 years old, but now something was really "off" in my mind. I became worried about Jane's weight loss and frailty, but Jane insisted that she was fine. All I could do was follow my inner voice, and visit much more often, send more cards, and call almost every day, just to say "Hi", "Love you", "Miss you". That is Jane's loving companion "Lillaeus", named after our great-grandmother. You can see many of our family's things in the background, and Jane loved and cherished them all, so I have kept them all for her. I have decided for now, that I will not include photos of Jane from the last 6 months of her all too short life. Even though Jane wanted me to take the pictures of her at the time, I don't feel "right" about posting them. It's about respect and dignity. Thank you for sharing your time today to remember my sister Jane with me. Light and Love to you.
