Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Special Treat ? Elizabeth Evans

January 27, 2008

2008 and is starting off great for Storytime Tapestry, we have another wonderful new writer joining us today, please welcome Elizabeth Evans as writer # 455 for Storytime Tapestry. You have my promise that I will continue finding you great writers such as Elizabeth to fill our souls and hearts with the magic of words.

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Ireland in my Heart?Our Journey to the Green Isle (Part I in a Series)

Elizabeth Evans

" Hey Auntie Anne, you and Duffy can go to Ireland over April vacation...don't cancel cuz of me.? I'm going to have this bone marrow transplant on my birthday and I'll be good to go and by next April, you can take me.? In the end, I'll make out...you'll pay for everything.? Gotta see the place where they brew Guinness.? Yup, next year in Ireland."

"Aaron, Duffy and I really can cancel and I'll be here...", Auntie Anne said with concern.

"It's no big thing...they get this bone marrow, they drip it in to me...and I'm as good as new...by next April, we can all go to Ireland. You'll be feelin' so guilty for leavin' me behind this time..."

In the end, my sister Anne and her husband Duffy went to Ireland during April vacation in the spring of 1997.? Meanwhile, on April 26 Aaron celebrated his twenty-second birthday with a bone marrow transplant at New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.? Aaron had a condition called aplastic anemia, a very rare disease where the bone marrow shuts down.? Diagnosed in September, 1996, Aaron, a strong and athletic daredevil,?had gone through various treatments throughout the fall, none of which worked.? By January, the doctors knew that only a bone marrow transplant was an option. ?

The transplant went well and by the middle of June we all celebrated when Aaron was able to come home.? Within two days, Aaron developed a common cold and was once more back at New England Medical.? Because of the transplant, Aaron was on drugs that depressed the immune system...as a result, a common cold was life threatening.? Though he fought a valiant fight on July 12th Aaron died due to complications. ? It was devestating to all of us...though throughout the ten months our family had heard the words "life threatening", never in our wildest dreams could we conceive of Aaron actually dying.? Aaron was cremated and on a beautiful sunny day in August family and friends boarded the fishing boat, "The Mary Elizabeth" and scattered some of Aaron's ashes into the sea out by Bug Light in Plymouth Harbour.? The old fishing vessal was owned by Dave and Carol Arnold, parents of Phil, Aaron's best friend.? Being a very active child, Aaron had spent many wild moments on the "Mary Elizabeth".

In October, Papa, Zach, our youngest son, and myself brought some of the ashes to Flye Point, Maine, one of Aaron's favorite places and walked out to Gander Island during low tide to scatter them in the wind.?

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Meanwhile, an idea was being conceived in Auntie Anne's mind....all she kept hearing was Aaron's voice saying, "...next April in Ireland" and so in January she asked all the members of the family if they would accompany her to Ireland to scatter some of Aaron's ashes.? In the end eight of us went:? my sister Fran and her son Shawn and his girlfriend, my sister Anne and her daughter Shannon, Gramma, my son Will and myself.? We rented a large cottage outside of Cork as our base...as well as three cars. ? ?

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The big question was "Where"...where would we scatter Aaron's ashes? ? I told them we would know....as we traveled the byways of this country, we would just know.? Over the course of the week we toured Cork, and the Ring of Kerry, drank beer in Dingle and then on the fourth day we stumbled on a small coastal village...Aardmore was the name.? Above the village was a cliff walk that passed the ruins of an old abby.?

?There were two little statues of angels and Fran said, "This is "A" and this is Tevin", her son who had passed six years before.

Auntie Anne keeping her promise...next April we'll go to Ireland.

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Later in the week we were at the Cliffs of Moher and Will surprised us...."You know I brought my own ashes of "A" and I think he would like to be here too...he would be down this cliff in a minute and swimming out to that rock.....climbing over the fence, Will released his brother to the wind....?

As we walked along the cliff what should we see down on the shore but a huge, rusted crane and Will looked at me and I at him and he said, "This is the place.... if "A" was here he would have repelled down this cliff to climb that derrick....no doubt about it....and you would have been hollering, Aaron get your ass up here!" ?

In the end, my sister Anne and her husband Duffy went to Ireland during April vacation in the spring of 1997.? Meanwhile, on April 26 Aaron celebrated his twenty-second birthday with a bone marrow transplant at New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.? Aaron had a condition called aplastic anemia, a very rare disease where the bone marrow shuts down.? Diagnosed in September, 1996, Aaron, a strong and athletic daredevil,? had gone through various treatments throughout the fall, none of which worked.? By January, the doctors knew that only a bone marrow transplant was an option. ?

??

Meanwhile, an idea was was being conceived in Auntie Anne's mind....all she kept hearing was Aaron's voice saying, "...next April in Ireland" and so in January she asked all the members of the family if they would accompany her to Ireland to scatter some of Aaron's ashes.? In the end eight of us went:? my sister Fran and her son Shawn and his girlfriend, my sister Anne and her daughter Shannon, Gramma, my son Will and myself.? We rented a large cottage outside of Cork as our base...as well as three cars. ? ?

?

The big question was "Where"...where would we scatter Aaron's ashes? ? I told them we would know....as we traveled the byways of this country, we would just know.? Over the course of the week we toured Cork, and the Ring of Kerry, drank beer in Dingle and then on the fourth day we stumbled on a small coastal village...Aardmore was the name.? Above the village was a cliff walk that passed the ruins of an old abby.?

?As we walked along the cliff what should we see down on the shore but a huge, rusted crane and Will looked at me and I at him and he said, "This is the place.... if "A" was here he would have repelled down this cliff to climb that derrick....no doubt about it....and you would have been hollering, Aaron get your ass up here!" ?

? Auntie Anne keeping her promise...next April we'll go to Ireland.

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Later in the week we were at the Cliffs of Moher and Will surprised us...."You know I brought my own ashes of "A" and I think he would like to be here too...he would be down this cliff in a minute and swimming out to that rock.....climbing over the fence,

God Bless you Aaron, our child of the wind and may one day we meet once more.? Will thinks that when we do meet your going to say, "Hey Mom, what's up?? You keep throwing me over cliffs and out to sea!"? My reply will be, "You were never ours "A", you were a child of this universe, only ours to nurture for a little while...that was the deal struck long ago."

Elizabeth Evans

bluehaaron@yahoo.com