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urbpan
When my first wife and I moved to San Francisco in December 1998, our housing fell through and we were cast adrift. Our friend Jaina let us stay at her place until we got back on our feet. We never really did, and in May of 1999 came crawling back to Boston.
Jaina's genuine warmth and supernatural generosity in a trying and dramatic time saved us from descending into chaos. Jaina is a grounded center surrounded by people in eccentric orbits, many of whom are very talented artists. Her home is a living museum, an oasis of calm joy in a exhilarating maelstrom of creative overstimulation. It was so delightful to see her again, and to spend the better part of a day with her.
Jaina came east on a combination spiritual journey and family reunion. The reunion with living relatives came later, but while in Boston she looked up one who had passed. Here she is (excited to be part of the 3:00 snapshot) checking the Mt. Auburn Cemetery touchscreen kiosk to find the memorial of her "Uncle Anne."
Even with the help of a map and the directions from the kiosk, it was not easy to find the stone. We browsed among some other interesting ones for a while:
Our only real clue was this giant space leaf sculpture.
Success!
We spent some time with Uncle Anne, as did Pat the Bunny. Jaina was happy to commune with her ancestor, and I was happy to help solve the mystery of the missing monument! (It was part of the sculpture all along.) Jaina told me the story of Anne, her mother's identical twin, and her interesting life, sad passing, and amusing memorial service. I recommend you also read Jaina's story about reconnecting with her father, who she hadn't seen since she was four years old. Jaina is on an amazing journey, and I am happy to have been here for a stop on it; I hope I get to play with her again soon.
