I had a handful of Aunts, growing up. Mom had sisters, Dad had one sister. Each one as different as could be, each with things I could admire and learn from and keep.
Aunt Marie, Dad’s sister: religious and also very interested in poetry and opera and books. She worked and traveled in the world.
Aunt Audrey: Early adopter: first person we knew to have and use a microwave (and she read the directions!). Aunt Audrey was the person I called my first week at college when I didn’t have enough money for my books, my parents were away and I didn’t know what to do. Somehow or other she got money deposited into my checking account.
Aunt Eileen: loved to hit flea markets and antique-y-places, loved to buy you something she just knew you’d love, loved and lived with many animals: dogs, cats and birds. Quick to laugh, easy to hug.
Aunt Tim (or Thelma as some knew her): executive secretary to Albany’s mayors, hard working state legislative worker, good friend to many and supporter to many more. Loved to shop and travel and was always ready to party.
All of us who knew these women can tell lots of stories about our lives together and all about the good times and the bad.
This week we lost Aunt Tim after a long period of illness. I have been laughing in my head at all the stories I heard about her while I worked in the NYS Assembly. How when the young guy in the mail room said he was tired, she told him he should go home. So he did. Unfortunately, she wasn’t his boss! She was a good friend of one of my co-workers Rose and they did all kinds of things together as a group of girl friends. What a good thing to know that you can have good friends and good times all through your life.
When Mom and I saw Aunt Tim in the hospital this week, she and mom talked about how lucky they had been in life, finding good strong husbands and blessed to have good children who had good lives of their own – they all turned out good. How happy they’d been growing up, what good memories they had to hold onto.
That’s the stuff that should inspire all of us to live the lives we’re meant to.
My Mom and Aunt Tim a few years ago.
