Aunt Betty lives in one of the towns that was hit by the tornadoes. She is in her seventies, and they had been without power twenty-one days. She is lucky, she lived in an apartment complex that was not damaged, but most of the town was wiped out. She sounded so frail tonight.
And she still has fear in her voice. The old, and the poor, it seems they are the ones struggling so hard to make it through.....but she is tough and stubborn. Aunt Betty would not leave her friends, and go stay with her daughters after the storms. She would not leave her home.
Hearing her voice, it just left me sad. It brought back memories of my mom, on 9-11, she was on a bus trip with her friends just outside NYC. She never really got over that trip, and when I heard Aunt Betty's voice tonight, I know the trauma of these storms have taken their toll on her.
My mother's voice, the way she pronounced my name.....Aunt Betty speaks just like her.
Rick and I are appearing on a local tv show in the morning, I promised her I would dedicate a song to her........When I knew the storms had hit her town of Cordova, I was beside myself with worry, she is the last of my mom's siblings. It took her daughter two days to get to her,(with the help of the National Guard) and I cried with relief when I knew she was ok.
One day, Aunt Betty will be gone, and that voice will be gone forever. She is my last link to my mom. I am always glad to talk with her, and visit with her......but her voice.....always leaves a lump in my throat. How can two people sound so much alike?
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So many thoughts about your post Jilda.
ReplyDeleteFirst...I had and Aunty Betty...my dad's sister though.
My sister V. and I look and sound alike...creeps everyone out.
Most poignantly though, Rudy (hubby's) mother died almost two years ago now...his dad still has her voice on the answering machine for their home phone, it's creepy and wonderful all in the same moment to 'hear' her still speaking to us.
I read this with mixed emotions. I spoke on the phone to my own mom tonight. I am blessed that I can still call her any time, day or night, and HEAR her voice. I am sorry for your loss. It breaks my hear.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, now I'm all tearful again. This is just like the little yellow house post that was no longer there, and I feel sad. That is the awful thing that I don't like - forgetting voices. Obviously, I have lots of photos of mum and dad, and friends who have passed away, but, sometimes, I have to really struggle to hear their voices :( Let's hope that Auny Betty will manage to perk up again after all her town has been through.
ReplyDeleteDo you have their voices recorded?
ReplyDeleteGlad your aunt is all right and it is understandable for her to be edgy living in the area of all the horrendous storms.
Your aunt Betty is brave to stay in town. It is awful waiting to hear word if your loved ones are safe. My granddaughter's father was in Christchurch when the earthquake hit. His home was right downtown. Waiting to hear some news was hard.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been tense. Hope she is around for years.
ReplyDeleteIt's in the genes. My mother and my Aunt Bernie look and sound so much the same and they both look just like my Grandma.
ReplyDeleteHopefully she will recover from this shock. It's nice she has you as well as a daughter to help her through all this mess. I'm sorry your own Mother is not here. My Dad passed away 35yrs ago and I think of him everyday. His brother looked so much like him it always gave me a jolt when he entered the room.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's great that when you hear Aunt Betty's voice you think of your mum and that it is sad that one day you will not have that.....it must be hard for the old and the young when some kind of natural disaster strikes as they are the ones who will get scared the most and in many cases will not fully understand what has happened.
ReplyDeleteIt is good that she was not hurt and that her home is still standing though.