. . . I cast your dust far and wide,
a sower broadcasting seed:
Be wild rose or hellebore or all-heal.

Descend as a vein of silver,
never to be seen,
deep in the lynx-eyed earth.

Rise as barn owl white as dusk;
dove or raven marvelling at his flight.
Know different delights.

~ Excerpt from “The Scattering,” Penelope Shuttle

Tonight, just now, as I sat down to write this, I learned that my aunt has passed away in memory care with her loved ones around her. My kids have been checking with me on news, knowing that she was near the end. I texted them, and got this wonderful text back immediately from my youngest, and I was a little stunned at her spontaneous response. It’s just right, just right. My aunt was a survivor who gave the gift of recovery to many, many people, inside and outside her family. She changed the family history for generations to come. Every time one of us needed her advice, her guidance, her hope, her intelligence, her empathy, she was there, at a moment’s notice:

Call Jody, she’ll know what to do.

I'm sorry mom. She was pivotal to the Burke family in changing the narrative. She spoke up against sexual abuse, sexism, and anti-semitism within the family and beyond. She stays in our hearts.