For aunt Doreen

I’m placing this for my aunt Doreen. She lived in Massachusetts her whole life and was the person everyone called when they did not know what else to do. She never had much money, and she never made a big deal about herself, but she always had room for one more person at the table. When I was little, I thought she was just the aunt who made tea, saved coupons, and kept too many coats by the back door. Now I understand she was the one holding half the family together without saying it out loud. She passed last winter. At the funeral, people kept saying the same thing: “She was always there.” That is why I wanted her name here.