Opinion : The Favorite Aunt

Now, I have lots of aunts. Quite frankly each aunt had their own thing that I liked about them. 

My Aunt Helen, I would see a lot, and I would greet with "There's my FAVORITE Aunt!" to which she'd always laugh and reply with, "Yeah, right!" 

My aunt has been one that when I was a kid, we would see a lot of because we both lived in town and we babysat my cousin so we'd see her most days.

Then when I was 14 we moved away. Fortunately, for my kids, we moved back to Vinton where my kids got to know their Great Aunt and Uncle. My boys got to help Norval with his mowing and lawn business, so that meant they got to see Helen as well.

She was the one responsible for introducing us to our new church when we moved back. She invited us, and I kinda laughed her off, But she INSISTED that we visit. We only went the first time because you can't tell your aunt, "No." It's one of those times that I am glad we didn't.

There were a lot of times we'd sit before or after church and and talk about nothing, everything and the details of life, church, my kids (her nieces and nephews) what everyone was up to, and what had happened the last week. We'd discuss anything and everything.

If I dared to call her on the phone I knew it would be a good hour, sometimes 2 before I'd be hanging up, and sometimes it was only because the phone couldn't outlast us. 

She was one that I will always remember laughing with. That's probably why I loved her so much.

I remember always being scolded and being told, "not EVERYTHING is funny"  by, well mostly by the cranky adults in my life. While that's true, sometimes, in MOST scenarios there really is SOMETHING funny, and Helen and I could find it, and she didn't mind laughing with me about it. We both have a dry sense of humor, so we "got it" when probably most people didn't.

In the last few years, it was sad to see her health declining. The walker came out and she started to bruise real easily. So, of course, I'd tease her about what the other guy looked like and how that walker must've really been handy in taking him out!

She joked the time they had to move a hospital bed into her living room because she couldn't handle the steps anymore. She looked at the bed and said, "That's going to be awful crowded..." when she saw that I was blushing...well, that just made her roar with laughter.

There were times she'd scold me with both my first AND middle name, to which I'd reply with, "What, Helen Mae?" The first time I did that I remember that she was surprised that I knew here middle name, but I explained that of COURSE I knew that, she was, after all, my favorite aunt.

Now my aunt knew everything about everybody. She was the information super highway before there were computers. It wasn't necessarily because she was nosey, she was just out in the community and got around a lot and knew what was happening around her. She cared about people. 

She was also one of those true gals. There wasn't a false bone in her body. 

The more I think about it, I probably loved the candor the most. It's really hard to find someone that will tell you exactly what they think, not sugar coat it, and not lead you to think what they want you to think. I find someone that can be honest with me, someone that can call me on my stuff, and someone who still loves you for what makes you you, they are hard to find.

I don't think she probably ever saw our website, she knew about it, but didn't have a computer herself, but then, she didn't need ME to tell her the news anyway.

I think the only thing we ever disagreed on was shopping.

She had to have been in on creating the slogan "Shop until you drop" motto. 

I on the other hand, hate shopping.

I remember one time she invited me along to shop, for something she thought she needed, and I declined. She teased me with "Come on, it's fun!" and I replied with, "I'd rather go to the dentist!" She laughed.

There's nothing like the sound of laughter, and there will now be less of it, since my Aunt Helen is gone.

I'll have to just laugh at the jokes her and I would find funny, alone. I'm sure I'll look for her at church on Sunday to tell her SOMETHING about my week, and will remember that I can't.

I'll look beside my uncle and see the empty seat there.

It's good when you have to lose someone, that you feel like they left you on a good note.

It's not over between her and I, we'll pick up where we left off. And I imagine it's going to be one really, really, really long conversation when we finally catch up again.

So in the mean time, as my granddaughter reminded us, you get to be there with her great grandpa. The laughter and the stories will be endless, so keep laughing Helen Mae, and we'll catch up later...