strongest profile in the world

monday was my birthday and i spent it at a funeral.

my aunt barbara passed away after a sudden and very brief illness.

there were five sisters. now there are four. one of them is my mother. and their maiden name is "buzzard".
that makes us all birds of a feather.

the family resemblence is more than strong. it is remarkable.
we are known for our noses, made distinct by the ball that sits fat and happy at the very end.
complete strangers can make the connection simply from our profiles.

as we filed past the casket, the sisters and the nieces, i was keenly aware of the family resemblence, how anyone sitting there who had never seen me before would make no mistake in connecting me to this family of women.

i had never been so happy to have that profile. it is the strongest one on the world because it belongs to the strongest women in the world.

as our aunts and mothers leave us, the nieces step in to fill the spaces they created.
and with the noses we all sport,
it is a perfect fit.