Today my lovely aunt passed away. She was in her 90’s.

I have wonderful memories of her. My favorite was a time when I was visiting the family. I was a child and I always loved my visits. This time I was there on my birthday. She surprised me by buying a cake and taking my cousins and me to a park to celebrate my birthday. I really felt special that day.

Another special memory occurred when I was grown. Mother passed away right before Mother’s Day. It was a difficult time, but on Mother’s Day I received the sweetest phone call. It was my aunt, calling to see how I was doing. It meant so much to me. I’ll carry that memory with me always.

Sometimes I visited her with my mother. She lived in her own apartment until recently. One thing she enjoyed sharing with us was her scrapbooks. She made beautiful ones of her family and she inspired us to do the same.

She was very independent and never wanted to leave her home, but the time came. She never accepted the loss of her independence. It was hard for everyone.

Now we feel sad. We will all miss her and the influence she had on our lives. May all of us be filled with happy memories of our good times with her.