Lucky Me

So I'm one of those lucky people. I had three of my four grandparents for most of my life, and all four up until I was five or six years old.

And I grew up near those grandparents all my life. I was never more than a couple hours away from them until I moved to Ottawa for school.

But I don't just have grandparents. No, in fact for some reason my Dad's side of the family (though it doesn't look it in recent years) has largely been blessed with some sort of radioactive longevity gene.

My grandmother's mother, "Grammie Sullivan" (where the name Sully comes from) lived to be 99 years old. I actually have memories of her, which is pretty remarkable. Granted they were all in the hospital... but still.

And my grandmother's sisters are all in the eighties and nineties ... and many of them still kickin'.

Now a couple months back, one of "the sisters" passed away. I say "sisters" because Grammie S. actually had twin older sisters who were also nuns. Well, one of them still is. So Sister Anne has moved on to a better place (I honestly believe that, I'm not a HUGE religion-fanatic but the lady was a nun, for crying out loud. If anyone gets to go to heaven or wherever, it's her). And Sister Mary ... while she certainly felt the loss, I'm sure, she is still buzzin around the convent almost as actively as before... just without her other half (literally).

I got an email from my aunt today, with the following message:

Last Sunday when I visited with Sr. Mary told me she heard "Jackie, Jacqueline S* on CBC"....she seemed to say it with pride, yet disbelief...she always listens to CBC :)

Isn't that just the cutest thing? My 96 (?) year old grand-aunt randomly heard me on CBC. And realized it was me. And told people about it.

I think that's just amazing.


*Yet again, trunkated to preserve the iron-clad identity of the blogger