This archive report was first published on 22 August 2019.
As I sit in Venice, reflecting on my late mother's life, I am reminded of a letter she wrote to her sister, Gina, in the 1980s. The letter, carried by Gina during her visit to Rome, has been a treasured family heirloom for years.
It is now, on the quarter-century anniversary of my mother's passing, that I feel compelled to share her words with the world.
The Letter
My mother's letter to her sister is a window into the lives of a diplomatic family in Egypt. She writes about her sister's daughter, Gina, and her nanny, Penny, and expresses her joy at receiving her sister's letters.
She also shares her concerns about her sister's move from Cairo to Port Said, advising her to be cautious and not to let her boss know about her disappointment. The letter is a testament to the close relationship between the two sisters and the challenges they faced as part of a diplomatic family.
Forty days after writing this letter, my mother suffered a stroke that would change her life forever. She underwent 'trials of Job' for fourteen years, raising us into teen-hood, before her second and final stroke took her to be with the Lord she loved, 25 years ago.
