Remembering: Aunt G

Coming up later this month is the birthday of a women who is already dead. She was a sparkling light of energy, opinions, a strong taste for shopping, and an enormous love of cats, she was my Aunt G. Aunt G was not truly my aunt, at least not in the biological sense of the word, she was a friend of my mother’s who was a much loved part of the family. Because of her choice not to marry or have children, my siblings and I became a kind of surrogate for her. Albeit, we were 3,000 miles apart for the majority of our lives, we lived on the West Coast where my father had found a job and she lived on the East Coast in the same town my mother grew up in. She was something special and she took the time and trouble to make sure I knew she loved me and thought of me often.

Some may contest this ascertion, but I know it to be fact, I was Aunt G’s favorite. I think she always wanted a little girl and with my big gray eyes and curly hair, I imagine she was smitten with me. Of course, I also allow that I shared one of her biggest hobbies, as did my mother, shopping for jewelry. Aunt G could sniff out a deal on gorgeous Zuni fetish necklaces or find gold elephant earrings for a fraction of the wholesale’s price. It was marvelous to watch her in action because she just fell in love with the sparkle and shine of the jewels and her face and body would take on a glow with each new purchase.

Aunt G was a woman who did not understand the impact she made on the world (few of us know the important positions we hold in the lives of others). I was not very good at telling or showing her how much she contributed to my life and who I am today. When she died of cancer, my regret was immense that I never got to tell her how much I loved her. But that was also her way.