This is my Aunt Gladys. That smile was contagious. Her laughter was boisterous and as loud as she was. A small woman, barely 5 feet tall, she filled up a room with this sheer joy that radiated from deep within her heart; she was generous, loving, kind. Having grown up with eight brothers, she had to learn how to hold her own in arguments. She was a strong lady. She also had two sisters, Myrtle and Eltrum. I honestly don’t know which aunt I loved the most. That goes for my uncles. None of them are alive anymore. They have all left me alone in this cold world with just these childhood memories of Sunday dinner, of funerals, of laughter, of tears, of family stories of a paternal grandpa and paternal grandma I never knew.
Time moved on. The world turned. Nothing is left of that childhood of mine, except photos of those whom I loved. Photos of uncles, aunts, and family who are no longer here.
It is summer that reminds me most of them. Summer brings back watermelon spread out on tables in the yard. Summer brings back memories of all my uncles and aunts gathered on the front porch reminiscing about their childhoods.
I miss them all.
Time moves on. Our time on this earth is so very limited; our time on this earth is so very precious.
I resolve not to waste one moment of the precious time I have left on this earth. Like Aunt Gladys, I want to laugh and find joy in the simplest things. I want to choose to be happy. There is good in this world. If I have learned anything from those summer Sundays, it is to give thanks to God who loves me, to share with others, and that it is better to light one candle rather than curse the darkness.
From them all, I learned that my strength comes from the Lord. With the Lord all things are possible. I believe this with my whole heart, mind, and soul.
Thanks, Aunt Gladys for the laughter. I still can hear you in my heart all these decades later. I love you, always.
Copyright 2020 Jenny W. Andrews
Jenny Grace's Poetry and Creative Writing Techniques 