Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Aunt Fredi, as she was affectionately known to me, was my Godmother. She and my mother, Nancy Erbland, were both nurses and worked at Strong Memorial Hospital at the same time. As a grade schooler, I remember Aunt Fredi taking my brother and me for a fast ride in her convertible with the top down. She always looked beautiful to me and was unlike any adult woman I knew. Single, confident, smart, beautiful, and caring. As a nurse, she cared for patients that suffered much stigma...AIDS patients in a prison. I admired her deeply for her choice to provide health care to "the least of these".
I also remember our family having a wonderful Italian dinner at her parents home. Aunt Fredi took me to her barn and showed me her horses and her barn kitties. That was the first time I'd seen cats with extra toes, and probably fueled my present love of all things cat. I also remember being in awe of the surrey racing pictures on the walls of her home.
God Bless you Aunt Fredi. Thank you for your love and prayers and for giving me another strong nursing role model to light my path.
Love you.
