Jan 10: A personal story- Natalie Meier

Natalie Meier…

I’m really lucky. I am blessed to have my Mom, Rina…and then the woman that raised me and loved me…meet Natalie Meier (neé Scopa).

In this picture, she’s with me at my second marriage with my husband, Mauro. She travelled from Toronto to spend the week with us, and she’s so happy here. She ate a lot all week…well, she and my Mom did. They can really pack it away. We’re a foodie family…and she’s Chief Foodie.

She also read from scripture at our wedding ceremony: that was special to me. She’s always been grounded in kindness, and everything that smells of almonds and vanilla.

Aunt Lina is the centre of our family: she’s the Christmas shopper, and gets us all organised for all family events. Christmas, birthdays, weddings…you name it, she has everyone’s address and phone number. During Covid, we had a monthly family zoom meet, when we sang and played bingo: she organised that too. She was the babysitter to my younger cousins and now to her grandkids. She saved all my grandma’s recipes and made sure we still got grandma’s cookies at family dinners.

As I said from the start, she brought me up, made sure my sister and I had our baths, fixed our dolls, taught us to read, and on Saturdays, we always had her world famous tuna fish sandwiches and chicken soup. Aunt Lina also took my sister and I to our first film: Mary Poppins. My sister fell asleep, but I was mesmerised. I’d look over to her and she would smile and nod…almost to say: “wowowowowow…amazing, right?”

And when we were older, she was the one I went to when I had questions that needed answers. I asked her about God, and why my Mom is so difficult. Our family. Our roots. She was so patient. You need to be someone extra special to have put up with all my mental gymnastics and angst.

She’s the kindest soul I know. I mean that. She’s given so much of her time to all her church groups- Marriage Encounter, ecumenical reading group and brought the host to people in hospital that couldn’t go to mass.

She even listened to my podcast and spaces, and would call to ask about future guests or talk about the issues we had discussed. She was into politics and world affairs. Aunt Lina was Scott’s biggest fan and loves Olga too. After each episode, she would call and made sure I would send messages to them, encouraging us all to go forward.

I don’t really want to say goodbye to her now. It’s so painful to think I can’t hug her right this minute. I keep staring at her picture here beside my desk…the one we took at Niagara Falls when we all got so wet on Maid of the Mist two years ago.

I think I could continue writing for hours about My Aunt Lina, but I’ll save it for my diary and the moments when I need to reach out to her and talk with her. I know she’ll be there, listening, patiently as she has always done.

So for now, dear, sweet, Aunt Lina…I know you have to go. It’s your time. Thank you for giving us so much of yourself and your love.

I can’t come with you now because I still have a lot to do but I will, when it’s my time. I’ll hug you then, and tell you I love you.

Mo

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Programming note: I’ll be flying to Toronto to say goodbye to Aunt Lina. You’ll be receiving posts but they may not contain the daily news round up.