H. Sharon Trohon 1946-2009

Last night God came calling for a new Angel. He took her in the wee hours of the morning and left the rest of us behind with very broken hearts.

My Aunt Sharon was an extraordinary woman. She would deny it if you told her that. She was very modest too. She was one of the good ones, the kind of person you don't come by very often in life and when you do....you just lock them safely in your heart forever.

I have so many memories of this woman. Each one better than the last. Tonight as I tucked Faith into bed and helped her fall asleep I laid there stroking her hair and thought of my entire lifetime with my Aunt Sharon. I have memories that go back to when I was around 3. The ones I remember the clearest always took place with me on her lap. I saw her every weekend for close to 15 years. My mom would bring us there to visit. I remember her room way back when, it was off the kitchen, the head of the bed was against the kitchen wall and she had these huge pillows that always looked like a chair to me. We would sit on her bed and she would read to me, tickle me, go through photos with me play games with me and just talk to me. She talked to me like I mattered, like a person....not a small child. She always made me feel special.

When I started first grade she was substitute teaching. She was in my school a lot. She always made a point of coming by my classroom and saying hi. Once in a great while I got the added pleasure of her being my teacher for a day, when my teacher was out. I loved those days. I was so proud to tell everyone she was my Aunt, and while she tried to treat me as her student I always got a look or a smile that told me that I was more than her student.

One of my favorite things with her was my birthday. Every year on my birthday she took me out for a special dinner. We would get dressed up and go to a restaurant, she would order me a Shirley Temple and I felt like a queen for the night. She spent the night talking to me about things I liked or things she thought I would like. On my 10Th birthday I was so excited to go. I had a red and white patchwork outfit that I absolutely loved. I remember saving it just to I could wear it out to dinner with her. This time her boyfriend Bob came. I was crushed. We got to the restaurant and I tried so hard to be happy but I was so upset. I wanted her to myself. I cried and she took me to the bathroom to talk to me. She offered to have Bob leave but I told her that it wasn't him (I couldn't hurt her feelings). I told her I didn't feel good and no sooner did my Shirley Temple arrive we were on our way home. I don't remember going with her anymore after that year, but I cherish those moments with her.

I missed her a lot during my teen years. I didn't see her much. Mostly holidays and occasionally a weekend. I remember the day she told me she was going to have her first baby. She was radiant absolutely glowing. She smiled constantly. I remember wanting to ask her if her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She lived in Peabody then, right off the square. I remember that apartment like it was yesterday. The narrow halls, the blue paint. To this day I think of her every time I get stuck in traffic there. It was Park St.. Funny how you remember odd things like that.

By the time Nick was walking she had moved back into my grandmothers. I saw her more then. I was getting older and spending more time. Then she got pregnant with Miranda. She glowed twice as much. She was on cloud 9 all the time. I remember seeing her in the hospital the day after Miranda was born....she was just so happy.

I spent a lot of time there then. Watching her with her children was so much fun. See, she never got married, she always said she didn't think she would. She feared she would never have children. I remember the year she dressed up as a bride for Halloween because she said she would never be one so she wanted to wear a wedding gown at least once! She was the kind of person that could ALWAYS put a good spin on something. She just had a knack for it, it came to her naturally.

When Miranda was about 7 months old I found out I was pregnant with Brenden. I spent a lot of time there. A lot. I went every weekend. She always made me feel better, being with the kids helped me. I loved being there with her. The day I went into labor with him I was there. They were having the back porch built onto the house. They were just finishing it. When I told her I thought I was in labor she encouraged me to go take a nap. I did and woke up hours later in full-blown labor. She was my very first visitor when I came home from the hospital. She cut Brenden's fingernails for me that night because they were so long and he kept scratching himself. She showed me how to do it on those little fingers.

I spent a lot of time there over the next few years. She lent her yard to me for many of Brenden's birthdays. It was almost like a home away from home for me. When Brenden was 3 we took the kids to Story Land. It was such a great vacation. We stayed at my friends condo (for free) and we did so much with Nick, Miranda and Brenden. I loved that week with her. It was so nice to have her to myself every night after the kids went to bed. we just talked and talked. She was truly and inspiration to me. She helped me be a better mother and made me strive to be a better person.

The kids grew and we were busy being single moms and we drifted apart. Seeing each other only a few times a year for cookouts or holidays. The favorite part of those parties....kissing her hello, I loved the way she smelled and as soon as I kissed her/smelled her perfume I instantly felt that connection again with her.

When Brycen was born I asked her to be his Godmother and she was so shocked and so happy. I will never forget the smile of shock and happiness on her face. She told me she'd be honored. She'd be honored? I was honored. The day I married Ray she took Brycen for me. She kept him overnight and got him ready for the wedding so that I didn't have to worry about him. She stood outside that church door waiting for me to arrive so I could see him and kiss him before I married his daddy. She stood right on the aisle so that he could see me walk down and see the ceremony. He was 10 months old.

Last July we were told she had Bile Duct Cancer. I soon found out that once this form of cancer is found it's too late. I was crushed. See I was having all those stomach problems back then. She wasn't going to say anything just yet at the time but she was so worried about me that she wanted my mom to tell me. I called her and we talked for almost 2 hours on the phone. It took everything I had to not cry. she was so positive and upbeat....because that is the kind of person she was. She didn't see the glass as half-full....she saw it as overflowing.

By September of 08 it was starting to be apparent that the chemo was taking it's toll. We all went apple picking together Sharon and my mom, Tracey and her kids and me and mine. When we got to the apple orchard we silently grabbed a hold of one another's hands. I told her I had always loved how soft her hands were. She just smiled and squeezed my hand just a little bit tighter, which was good because I didn't want to let go. I told her a lot of what was in my heart, it was hard and I was trying to do it without being upset, in the middle of an apple orchard. She did the same for me. I knew then that she was going to die within months and I didn't want to leave anything unsaid.

By Christmas she was worse. I hosted Christmas eve this year and worried about her all night. She was very quiet and uncomfortable I was worried. She was getting worse. I was seeing her more often. Then my mom's birthday came in March. We had a surprise brunch. Sharon didn't eat much. At the end of the meal she wasn't looking too good. When she stood up he stomach was huge and hard as a rock. I worried so much. I told her she needed to go home and call her Dr.. I called her later that day but didn't get her for over a week. That was the beginning of the end.

A few weeks back I went over to spend the night with her and my other Aunts. Paula flew in from Alaska and Doreen was there along with my cousins and friends. It was a mini party and Sharon was fun. She was exhausted but she fought through it all. She stayed downstairs with us until almost midnight. I helped Paula get her into bed. We talked for a few, I tucked her into bed and kissed her goodbye. That was the very last day I spent with her.

Three days ago my mom called to say that she was in the Hospice house. It wasn't good. I had the option to go say good-bye. I told her I already did and I wanted to remember her healthy and alive. Then I caved. My heart broke and I needed to see her one last time. My children had been begging to see her and they needed closure. Yesterday (Monday) we went. It was hard. It was so hard. I took the kids in one by one. She was all snuggled into bed with a beautiful quilt my mom made her out of all of our handprints. Her breathing changed when we came in. I know she knows we were there. The kids said their goodbyes. We went and sat with Miranda outside her mom's door for a while. It was a nice grassy place and we saw wild rabbits hopping around.

As we exited the kids said their good-byes again. Faith fell apart and I took her out. I ran back in and kissed her what seemed like a hundred times. I wanted to remember those cheeks and that smell. As I said good-bye, I started to cry, I promised her I would watch over her girl. As I lifted my head...there they were... 2 tiny tear drops falling from her eye. It was her good-bye. Once again, she put me at ease, she let me know that she heard me and that she loved me too.

There are very few people on this earth that are good, sweet, kind and selfless. H. Sharon Trohon was one of them.

Rest in Peace Aunt Sharon. I will never forget you.