Aunt Helen strikes again!

I've said it before...my dad had EIGHT sisters and three brothers. 

 

All that is left of the family are my three aunts.

 

A few weeks ago, my cousins Maria and her husband Jim,  and her brother Anthony drove my Aunt Helen, to visit with us at my cousin Susan's house.

 

Aunt Helen and family live in Maryland.

 

My mom and I went to visit,

 

arriving in style...

 

 

It was such fun to see Susan.  She and I grew up together,

our back yards almost touched!

 

 

Here's Sue with her grandson, Owen, who was such a cutie...

 

 

Sue's husband, John, is such a saint to put up with us...

 

 

Yet he lets us come back time after time!

 

Sue and  John live on the Juniata River (you look it up) and have two homes there...

 

One where they spend summers and the other is Sue's art studio.

 

Sue gave everyone the tour of her studio...

 

 

Sue's granddaughter, Sophia, presented her great aunt with a specially chosen gift...

 

 

You can barely see them here, but they were earrings,

aren't they amazing?

 

After we ate, we all lined up in our chairs...

 

 

 

We were supposed to be watching the show put  on by Sophia and Emma...

but as usual, Mom and Aunt Helen acted up...

 

 

Finally the show began...

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, some of us had to get into the act...

 

 

Before you knew it, all the old people had to try it too...

 

 

 

That's my mom in the middle... she certainly was vertically challenged in this competition!

 

 

Afterwards, Sophia and Emma served snacks...

 

 

 

 

That's when we found out they work for tips :-}

 

Sigh...what a great day!

 

I adore my Aunt Helen!! 

 

 

I hope we have many more times together.

 

A big thanks goes out to Stacy, Sue's daughter, for the photos!

 

Love you guys!

 

 

 

Make New Friends

Years ago, almost too many for me to count, I was starting out my 'adult' life.  It wasn't an easy time, that's for sure; young  kids when I wasn't more than a kid myself, financial, marital, social and spiritual poverty, life seemed pretty bleak at times.

The one thing that was positive and constant was the friendship I developed with my neighbor, Linda.  For more than two years, we saw each other every day.  We shared gallons of coffee (she had a forty cup coffee pot!), pans of fried potatoes,  pots of Lima bean soup and so many games of Yahtzee that we nearly wore the dots off the dice!

Our kids were the same age, they played while we talked.  I don't ever remember disagreeing with her.  We were closer than sisters.  When her third daughter, Bobbi, was born, my ex and I were named her honorary God Parents.

I was heartbroken when they moved away.  Keeping in touch in the days of long distance rates and no money was tough.  We talked for a while, visited once or twice and then we lost touch with each other but each year, on the birthday she shared with my brother, I thought of her and wondered...

A year ago I was reading the obits and saw that her husband died  (in Florida).  His survivors listed Linda as his wife, but it also listed his daughters as LOCAL. I got online and by the end of the day, had tracked down Bobbi.  She told me her parents had divorced and the Linda listed was his next wife, not her mother.  I also found out that for the past 25+ years, they lived less than 50 miles from us.

Linda and I talked on the phone.  I think we were both afraid to see each other.  Even though we were so close at one time, that time was also such a low time in our lives, did we really want to revisit it?

Leave it to a kid...Bobbi decided we needed to get together.  Without Linda being aware of what she was doing, she took her shopping and out to eat.  After they were seated in the restaurant, Bobbi said she was going to the bathroom but came back with me!

Linda had no clue who the strange woman invading her space might be, I was the last thing she expected, but in a short time, we were catching up on the past 37 years, remembering what made us so close all those years ago, and hugging...

It was a good thing!

Thank you, Bobbi, I know your mother is proud of the woman you became. I am too!

~sigh, big happy sigh~

Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold...

Now go out and be the friend you hope to find.  
I know you will.

Love ya,
Jan