Sisters Forever

After my great aunt passed away from a malignant brain tumour in May of 2013, my grandmother had a difficult time trying to cope with the loss of her only sister. Being a strong believer in the paranormal as well as her strong belief in possessing the ability to communicate with the deceased, she maintained her level of utmost confidence that she would one day receive an uplifting message from her departed sister. Three months after my great aunt's passing, my grandmother moved into her current apartment which possesses a pleasant view of a well-maintained rose garden from her balcony. This was a highly positive change of scenery from her former residence, which overlooked a busy road and where the sound of constant traffic became borderline insufferable.

Her current building contains one laundry room for each floor. At the time, both the washer and dryer were coin operated, and my grandmother had to make a brief stop at the closest bank to pick up some coins contained within the traditional paper rolls. While nonchalantly handling yet another load of laundry, she attempted to insert a randomly selected coin from the roll into the washer's metallic slot. The machine promptly spat it back out. Assuming it was a mere coincidence, she then inserted the same coin a second time. It was yet again rejected. Perplexed and mildly frustrated, she decided to inspect the coin to determine the reason why the machine had continuously declined it.

The coin was the same size as a typical Canadian dollar coin known amusingly as a "loonie." Yet this particular coin proved vastly different. Upon closer inspection, she realized this coin held no monetary value, yet upon reading the coin's inscribed text, she would clearly understand that it indeed possessed a much greater value for her.

The inscribed text appeared distorted and had a rather small font. My grandmother needed a magnifying glass to read it. She examined it carefully and it contained a famous quote from St. Therese of Lisieux:

"I am your sister, your friend. I shall always be watching over you."

Though my grandmother has always accepted the possibility that this particular coin coming into her possession was a pure coincidence, it nevertheless provided her with a much needed sense of comfort and closure. She then felt that nothing could truly keep her and her sister apart. She then decided to place the coin within an appropriately sized frame and still keeps it on display on one of her many antique tables beside her balcony doors. It is positioned at an angle where she can easily see it from the comfort of her favourite chair.