Memories sweet and sad.
This month is all about memories. In the past month mine
were kicked into gear when one member of my family discovered she was sick.
Thinking about losing her set my mine to memories of all the times I’ve shared
with her in my life. My brother’s first baby, and she was so beautiful. Oh,
yes, I know you’re thinking prejudice, family members always think a baby is
beautiful. She truly was then as now with features as fine as a sculptured
porcelain doll so much like her mother’s. She hated me. No kisses or hugs for
her auntie until her sister came along a few years later. Maybe it was just
that when sister came, she was at an age to reach out to those outside her
nucleus family, but I had never had a baby reject me as strongly as she did, a
sign of strength that she’s needed this past month. As a toddler, auntie got to
babysit. When her mother died, I had the sad responsibility of telling her her
mommy would never be coming back. She drew away from me again then. I think it
was the association of never seeing mommy and the one who told her. Still through
the years I was a part time surrogate mommy for her and her sisters whenever I
could be, helping my brother as much as possible in raising three small
daughters alone. I remember one shopping trip for school clothes, each one of
them looking for something different in what they wanted. One day on a shopping
trip of my own, I caught her ditching school. Ah, the look on her face when she
realized she was busted. I never told her dad. Dads find out those kind of
things without aunts being snitches. When she announced she was getting
married, at the justice of the peace’s, the family threw a fit. We all wanted
her to have a wedding she’d remembered. I did her flowers, and the wedding was
held up when our son’s daughter decided to make that the day to enter into the
world. We stayed as long as we could for the birth before we raced to the
wedding to deliver the flowers, the bouquet for the beautiful bride. It was,
though starting late, a lovely wedding. She reminded me so much of her mother
on her wedding day. I’ve had the joy of sharing her three beautiful daughters,
babysitting them when mommy and daddy took some time for themselves. When the
news came of her illness we were all shocked and frightened. We’ve received
good news in that even though it is cancer, it is of a type that responses well
to treatment. We’ve got a while yet before we’ll know for certain she’ll be
free of it, but if strength and courage make the difference, supported by love
from all of those around her, she’ll beat it as she has all other challenges in
her life. I’ve never told her, and I do want to for all to read, how very proud
we are of her and how much having her in our lives has brought us joy. Love
you, Renee.
larion aka larriane wills, two names one author, thousands of stories.
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