My aunt has been visiting from NY the past week. It has been wonderful having her around. She is so much more than just my aunt - that name seems so inadequate. She is my second mom and one of my best friends. Our bond is a strong one. Throughout my life I have always known that I could turn to her for anything. During my pre-teen and teenage years, she was the one I often turned to with my problems, concerns, fears, etc. She has never let me down, steered me wrong or ratted me out - lol! To this day, she is one of the first people I would call if I needed to talk, wanted to share good news, needed an ally or just required a friendly voice.
Now that we are both adults, she sometimes turns to me to vent or to discuss being a mom to a young woman (my cousin is 21). It's nice that I can now return some of what she gave me as I was growing up. We will never be even - for there is no one like her. She is generous to a fault but I try to act as a sounding board and the voice of reason having endured those teenage/young adult years not too long ago myself. ;)
Whenever we are together, I love watching how my Lil Divas interact with her and vice versa. I can see how I feel about her shining through them and it makes my heart happy. They truly love her (and she them) and have so much fun together. I wish they could share these moments more often but I do not fret too much about it because I know that their bond is genuine and neither time nor distance can affect that. Our own relationship is a testament to that!
Bern
