A Eulogy for My Sister, Patrice Marlene Damiani-Peters [Originally Written Sep 5th, 2018]
My relationship with my sister was - complicated. The reason for any strain in our relationship is difficult to explain, not because I don’t understand it, but because it feels like blame shifting - as if it was someone else’s fault or beyond my control. And even in the ways that it was, at times, beyond my control, I know in my heart there was more I could have done to maintain a relationship with my sister. The last time I saw Marlene was in 2012; that was 6 years ago, two break-ups ago, two moves ago… At the time, things for both of us seemed so good. We both had our own places, we both had relationships, we both had jobs, we both promised that we would build from that point on. That whatever damage had been done, whatever time had passed, could be pushed back and we could start fresh, from that moment. But life happened, as it does, and we both got busy and didn’t find the time. It was a little over a year from our last meeting t...