Two weeks ago, I attended the funeral of my cousin, three years younger than I; she had died of breast cancer. Although I have only seen her a few times since our childhood and teenage years, she and her brothers and sisters still dwell in my heart.
My sisters and I had such wonderful times with them on their farm – swimming in the farm pond, racketing through the huge old Civil War-era mansion they had remodeled to house a family of seventeen (yes, that’s what I said – seventeen). My aunt and uncle were old school Catholics who truly believed every child was the most wonderful gift ever. Dinner at their home was an amazing event - huge bowls of food passed down from child to child to child to …
My cousin was not just the first of her siblings to die, but the first of all the cousins. As such, there was great sadness, of course, but also joy at a life well-lived. Each child has been a source of great happiness and pride to their parents, each well-educated, each creating lives that are a gift to the world. It is not just these children who have contributed so much, but other family members as well.
They have two aunts, for example, who were active in peace ministry for many years, and an uncle who served for thirty five years as a Maryknoll priest in El Salvador and Guatemala, during the terrible years of death there during the time of the Reagan administration. Of those three siblings, one still lives, and was at her niece’s funeral. It meant a great deal to see her, since she and I had worked together back in the 1980s, doing what we could to simply spread the truth about what the U.S. government was sponsoring and supporting then, not just in Central America, but throughout the world. Later, Gwen and her sister Dorothy were imprisoned for six months for their actions at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. For this – and for all they have done on behalf of peace – they were awarded the Pacem in Terris award in 2002.
I cannot express adequately the admiration, the love, I feel for Gwen and her family, and all that they have done. And this is why I write tonight: Gwen is still active at Clare Guest House, this time on behalf of “motivated women who can find a supportive community to assist their re-entry into society after having been incarcerated.” Those words are from the business card I asked Gwen to give me. Clare House is located in Sioux City, IA and has a website: http://www.clareguesthouse.org/
I plan to give in support of the work Gwen does. I would ask that, this holiday, you might consider giving as well.
I have purposely made this as brief as I could – in the past, when I’ve tried to write about my cousins, and about my years in the peace movement, I tend to go on and on. Anyway … thank you for reading. May you know peace this holiday season.