We found one another at just the right time.
While I have only known this sweet woman, my aunt, Beverly Ferrante, for a little over a year, the gift of her presence in my life has been immeasurable.
She was my mother’s half-sister, though they never met. She lived almost her entire life without meeting any of her Cubelli family members. In 2019, she reached out to us through Ancestry.com. After communicating via email and on FB for several months, we started to speak on the telephone, and we agreed that it would be great to meet in person. At first, I was hesitant. Having lost my mom over 25 years ago, I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be in Beverly's presence. Whenever I thought about meeting her, I reflected on moments with my mom and wondered if she’d be anything like her; her giddy sense of humor, her hearty laugh...
The idea that my mom had a sister took me by surprise, but still, I couldn't fathom not meeting her.
My daughter and I made plans to bring her lunch one-weekend last summer. When I called her to ask what she'd like for lunch, she giggled and told me it was her cheat day. All she wanted was an old-fashioned from Dunkin’ Donuts. On the way, we stopped to get flowers, and Michaela put together an arrangement of begonias in a lush, buttery yellow. When we arrived at her house, I noticed that she left the side door open for us. As I lightly pat the door to enter the house, the image of her sitting in anticipation of our arrival took my breath away.
We sat for hours getting to know one another; we laughed, and we cried, in awe of each other.
The last time I spoke to her just a couple of weeks ago, I promised to bring her a flower pot, soil, and seeds during my next visit, and we'd plant yellow begonias together. We joked about how they didn't need too much sunlight and that our laughter and love would provide just the proper nourishment to help them grow.
Rest in peace, Aunt Beverly, and thank you for finding me. 🙏🏽 Michaela and I will plant the begonias in your honor, and Mom will greet you at the pearly gates.😘 🤗