My Uncle and Aunt

           My Uncle and Aunt were my assigned god parents and truly committed to that role of looking after me and instilling good ethics and values.  My Aunt is my mother's younger sister.  They were always close as children I was told growing up.  Around the time I was born, my family unit was splitting with my parents divorce.  My Uncle and Aunt stepped up and took care of me more and more to provide a consistent environment.

          A lot of my first memories were at their house as a child.  I remember playing with a small cupboard of tiny knick knacks that were there for me to specially play with.  My Aunt just passed them down to me a couple of years ago and I fell to tears of happiness with the memories I had created using them in the corner kitchen cupboard.  Playing with the laundry shoot and sending my cousins wrestling figurines down it.  Pretending to be a mermaid in their hot tub on the deck.  Such sweet memories!

       I remember learning about death from my Aunt and Uncle.  Not something you want to think about necessarily, but they made it easier for me.  I remember waking up from my nap and calling the two dogs to come to the door to go outside, but only one dog came.  I was puzzled.  They explained one of the dogs got sick during my nap and had to go to the veterinarian and didn't come back.  That night they rented "All Dogs go to Heaven" to ease my mind that Cocoa went to a great place for dogs.  They found a way to explain something to me that just was not easy explaining.

        My Uncle and Aunt nurtured me as a child and supported me whenever I needed it.  They gave me time and space to explore and encouraged me to be curious about the world.  I had many wonderful adventures in their backyard and down the street at the playground.  My Aunt is the primary caregiver I envision when I think about the strong woman that made me feel safe always.  She inspires me to be that strong and nurturing woman for my family like she has done for me everyday.