Memories of Auntie

Today I sat down to read a book that had belonged to my Auntie. The title is Back Home Again It is a story about three sisters who come home for their father’s funernal. It started me thinking about my Auntie and the trip I had to take about 3 years ago to say goodbye to her at her funeral.

Auntie was one the most generous person I have ever known. When I was growing up she was like a second mother to me. I was born when my mother was 42 years old. My father had died two months before I was born. Auntie brought me home from the hospital because my mother almost died and had to stay for some time after my birth. I can still remember her showing me the hospital braclet I was given at my birth. She kept it in a jewelry box on her dresser in her bedroom.

When I began school she always bought me several dresses. I can remember being at her house trying them on and giving a fashion show to make sure they fit with plenty of room to grow as well. I think she got me shoes too, but I remember the dresses the most.

When I was small I spent alot of time at her house in the summer.  I would play with the neighborhood children. Auntie and my Uncle Oscar lived in a two story brick house that had a big backyard that was fenced in. This was special to me because growing up I lived in the projects with my mom and there wasn’t a yard to speak of. I always felt safe there. I even remember getting into alot of mischief there. I remember one time I wrote a letter and walked to the end of the street to mail it. The problem was I hadn’t started school yet and didn’t know how to write so there was no address or stamp on the letter. I just remmber wanting to send a letter because I had seen Auntie put mail into the big blue mailbbox. I wanted to be like her.

Auntie always baked me a white cake with chocolate icing for my birthday. She made it from stratch. The chocolate icing tasted so good. I remember Auntie had a mixer that the bowl turned when it mixed. She sometimes let me help. She definitely gave me the bowls to lick with the mixing spoons while the cake baked. I can still taste that cake in my mind it was so good.

A trip to Auntie’s house meant lot of treasures to take home. She had closets full of so much to look at. If she thought you liked something or you could use it she would get a bag and pack for you to take home. She gave me my first camera on one of those visits. I was in about the sixth or seventh grade. I remember taking it with me when our seventh grade class went to Frankfurt to visit the state capitol.

As I grew up Auntie was a very important part of my life. Every milestone she was there to share it with me. She went to my graduation from high school for my mom who couldn’t go because of her health. When I met my husband to be she welcomed him into the family with open arms. She purchased our wedding invitations. She gave us our first set of dishes. So it is not a big surprise that when I had my daughter I gave her Auntie’s middle name of Louise. It was my way of honoring her for all her love.

Like i said when I started writing this, she has been gone for around three years now and I miss her alot. Having books that belonged to her is special because I can imagine her sitting and reading them. It is like we are still sharing something together. I know she is in heaven and i look forward to the day we will see each other again.