Best Gift

March 10th of this year my father passed away after being hospitalised for close to two weeks. During this time, Marina - my other half and cousin who is more like a sister to me and my brothers as well as a daughter to my parents - was back living in Colombia. We had seen eachother through most of her winter break in December 2011 and early 2012, but by March she was missed more than ever before. The family was going through a lot of changes with the birth of the first grandchild for my parents, the upcoming wedding of one of my older brothers and my father's declining health. Thanks to free wireless at the hospital, I could text Marina in South America via my iPod touch and keep her up to date on what was going on. The morning of March 10th I asked her to call me and she knew what I was going to say. What I was so not expecting was her to say, "I'm booking a flight and coming home. Can you pick me up in AC in two days?" She had contacted her school and explained everything and they told her to take as much time as she needed. Marina came home in time for the viewing and the funeral where she gave an emotional eulogy for her beloved uncle. Marina choked everyone up when she said, "I've lived a lot of places in my life, Costa Rica, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Vermont, but I never felt like I was home until I was at Aunt Rose and Uncle Tom's." During the week she was home, Marina met my new nephew, saw her parents and her whole family and even got to see her BFF in the 'burgh to check out the new home she and her girlfriend had bought. It meant so much to me that Marina dug into her savings and spent close to a grand to get on a plane and fly home for one week to be there for us. While I'm not surprised, it was without question, the best gift ever.