As most of you know, my aunt Wanda passed away Friday morning. Although she had not been in great health for the last couple of years, her death was still a lot sooner than I think any of us could have imagined, and it was a bit of a shock.
Over the last several days, many people have asked me about my aunt, and were curious if it was my mother's sister or father's sister. When I corrected them, and told them it was actually my grandmother's sister that passed away, they always look at me kind-of funny, like, "what's the big deal? She's just your great-aunt."
I get that a lot about our family. People just don't understand. They don't have what we have. And the older I get, the more I start understanding how very blessed we are. And I feel so sad for people who don't have what we have. Our family is super close. And not just our immediate family...our extended family. Although we don't always get together outside of major holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas), we all share an extremely special bond.
My grandmother, who I call Nanny, is the middle of five children. There are four girls and a boy. My Uncle Jerry is the oldest, followed by Doris, Sue (my Nanny), Wanda, and Margie. We call the girls "the sisters" (actually, everyone who knows the family calls them that). They all started this. My mom is my Nanny's middle child. Between them, the sisters and Jerry have thirteen children. Those thirteen children, in turn, had over thirty children (that's my generation). There are currently six great-grandchildren, with two more due in September. I can list every single one of them (and most of their middle names) :) We love each other. We aren't perfect. We have our share of disagreements. But the point is, we can count on each other. And we don't just say that...we mean it.
As I'm sitting her typing this, I can't even figure out how to convey our family bond. But if you come by and see us, you will get it. You can feel it, even if you aren't a part of it.
The Sisters are a force to be reckoned with. What they say goes. They are the collective bosses, of the entire family. And if we are all honest with ourselves, we are scared to death of them. But it's because we respect and love them. They are the glue of this family. They created this family, and our traditions. They have expectations of their children and grandchildren, and they want them to toe the line. They have all made a point to be a part of all of our lives, and I love them for it. I have spent a significant amount of time with each of the Sisters, not just my grandmother. They have each taught me things about life, and about myself. I remember specifically that Aunt Wanda taught me how to wrap a present. That seems so trivial, but my lines are perfect on my wrapping paper, and my tape always in the perfect spot, because she taught me that. I remember the day she taught me, in the living room floor of her house. She was smoking a cigarette, drinking a coke, and had red lipstick on.
I don't even really know why I'm writing this blog post, other than to convey to others how important my family is to me. And how, if you don't have this with your family, you should try to build it. Because everyone deserves this. And I don't know what I did to deserve this family, but I need to thank God more often for allowing me to be a part of it.
So what's the big deal about my grandmother's sister passing away? It's a really big deal. Our family has lost a second part of the four that makes up our glue. We have lost a guiding light in our lives. It hurts. But the other great thing about our family is that we all know Jesus, and have been raised that way, and one day, we'll get to continue our family traditions together in Heaven.
