a lovely break

spent with my sister, my aunt, and her 20 spiritual sisters

each incredibly accomplished

making the world better

in her own  way

going from place to place

person to person

greeted warmly

welcomed in

with each interaction

we learned more about my aunt, the sister

her own stories, her own accomplishments

how she began on this path, became one of them, learned from them, grew to lead them,

now traveling with them into the next stage of their lives

putting together the people and places in her life

that have meant, and continue to mean

so much to her

she has been happy and much loved

on our last night they all sang to us

after a shared meal

gifting us with a blessing and best wishes.

—

“listen, and you will realize that we are made not from cells or from atoms. we are made from stories.”

*-mia couto

*António Emílio Leite Couto, better known as Mia Couto, is a Mozambican writer. He won the Camões Prize in 2013, the most important literary award in the Portuguese language, and the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2014.

—

image credit: from crayon