Angie, Angie...when will those clouds all disappear?

This is a photo from last November...me and my Aunt Angie on her 85th birthday! So full of life and still full of ambition, Angie had just bought herself a brand new Mercedes!
I just returned from visiting Angie and, unfortunately, things have changed GREATLY in the last few months. Having been diagnosed with a brain tumor earlier this year, Angie lays in hospice care tonight. When I arrived, she did not know who I was...and having been very close to her for more than 25 years (she is actually William's aunt) it was bizarre to have her not recognize me.
I said hello and then went in the other room for a bit. Not knowing quite what to do, I walked back into her room a few minutes later and her eyes lit up! She said, "Oh Julie...Hi honey...!"
I choked back the tears. Apparently she floats in and out of lucidity.
I took the chance to tell her how much I love her. I thanked her for being my biggest cheerleader and for always being a constant source of inspiration! She asked when we could go for breakfast at our favorite pancake house and mentioned several times that she wished her hair looked better. (She lost most of it to Chemo.)
Then, she took my hands in hers and turned to look right at me. She asked about Allison and Zachary and wanted to know if I still loved my job at the hotel. Then she said, "You're so young honey! SO young...live your life...enjoy every minute!" She never let go of my hands until she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly and telling me--one more time--that she loved me and was so proud of me.
Tears literally streamed down my face.
She knows what's going on. She knows her days are numbered. And, in the midst of it all, she is concerned about my kids, worried about her hair, and thinking about waffles.
And she is still cheering me on. She is forever my inspiration.