About a month ago an old friend of my brother’s who lives out of town came for a visit. He surprised my parents and I at their house when we were all getting together for a family dinner. We hadn’t seen this friend for many years, and it was great to have him over, and enjoying a meal and his company like we had done so many times growing up.

At the dinner table, it was hectic as usual. The last time he sat at our dinner table we were four. We are now a family of eight, and as he looked around the table at the craziness, he commented that this felt like old times, except now my brother has a wife and three kids.

And that is exactly the way life is….the same yet different. Because here we are again – one year later, nine years later, on the anniversary of Aviva’s passing.

If you ask someone of our parents generation where they were when JFK was shot, they could tell you. When you ask someone of our generation where you were on 9/11 – we could all tell you. Life events have a way of staying with you. You will remember birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and of course loss. I think that when someone you love passes, family or friend, old or young, you will always remember the details.

I wrote about it last year and many times before.

This year I am remembering ‘time’ by looking at my family. When my brother’s friend said that our dinner table felt the same, but the fact that my brother had three kids, it really made me think. Aviva didn’t get to meet any of the kids.

I look at my oldest niece, and her dynamic personality and think of Aviva. She has a great laugh, and that was one of the amazing character traits that V had – her laugh was infectious. She had a larger than life personality and she would have loved my oldest niece.

And my middle niece – the softer, sensitive one. She would have probably had lots of fun with V as well. Creative and artsy, and a serious thinker. I could imagine that they would have lots to talk about.

And my nephew. She would have just looked at him and thought, a son for my brother. How great will that be now and moving forward. She would be right. The sparkle in his eyes always lights up the room, and she would have loved that.

Last week when I starting thinking about today, I ‘googled’ the name Aviva Barth and several links showed in the results.

There are community outreach projects in her name.
There are blogs written by people that knew her.
There are flyers and documents from the Underwater council of Ontario on boater and water safety. 

I am sure if you knew V, you are nodding your head right now in remembrance. And you are hopefully smiling at the good times you shared, and her laughter and her smile. They will never be forgotten.

I will never forget you V,

Lisa