****** I know an odd title for an inspirational blog but hang in there with me.******
My Great Aunt Jametta who is still alive and kicking at 80
plus years is one of the friendships
that I cherish so much as an adult. One
great thing for me about getting older is that my relationships with my
relatives changed from being my baby sitter when I was a kid, a
chaperone/driver when I was a teen, to now as a an adult with a child of my own, into a deep
wonderful friendship . The first time my
aunt cursed on the phone while we were
talking tripped me out, I almost dropped the phone. One she’s not one to curse (unless you take
her parking space or get in her way on one of her many senior trip adventures)
and second (clutching my pearls) my sweet bread pudding making aunt just swore!
Of course cursing is not the defining moment in a deeper relationship, but my point is she looked at me not as her little
niece but as a friend and a confidant as she expressed herself. And when I say friendship, Aunt Jametta and I talk at least once a week,
if not more. She and I laugh about tv
shows, funny things that happened at the
senior living center she lives at (and let me tell you they should have their own reality show), sometimes we even talk about men. One
day she sort of caught me off guard though.
My Aunt , my sister girl, my ace was telling me about making sure her
will was in order and that she had paid off her plot at the cemetery. Let me clear up any confusion right now Aunt
Jametta wasn’t thinking about committing suicide or anything like that. She is beautiful and in great health, but as
she reminded me - "Child I am old I won’t live forever." You will i have anything to do with it I wanted to scream. But all and all I made a joke about her final
resting place being across the road from her already passed husband and she
said, "He can look but he bet not cross that road."
My heart did sink a little that day though. This beautiful woman filled every memory I
have in my life. The world without her
will be so different. My Aunt Jametta is
our Oprah when it comes to gift giving.
But instead of diamonds and high dollar items she blesses us with some
of the most unique gifts you would ever expect to pull out of your Aunt Jametta
Christmas bag. There may be the old
reliable gift of new socks (usually the ones with the individual toe spaces),
but guaranteed there is going to be a cabbage in there, a pencil shaped like a
duck, a am/fm walkman radio shaped like a bear. My bag always has something a
little more unique then the other bags she hands out to her children, grandchilrdren, nieces and nephews (but I’m her favorite, at least in my mind). I even chuckled at the time she got about 50
lbs of Jelly beans donated to her (she
use to take care of children) She froze them (she is the freeze master!)and we ate Jelly beans for over a
year it was crazy.
I don’t know why thinking of her made me think on folks who
are ready to depart this world, but here we are. The thought of all the memories with her drifted into
thoughts of those who want to commit suicide.
The people who in one way or another feel that they are not needed on
this planet any longer. Trust me there
is someone out there who will think back and reflect on on a memory of you and
the empty place that you have now left.
The place that only you could fill.
v
Maybe you are the friend who always gives it to
them straight
v
Maybe you are the neighbor who always smiles
v
Maybe you’re the person who let me get in front
of you on a busy traffic day
v
Maybe you’re one of the people who read my blog,
symbolized just by a number, but your number moved my soul when my views went
from two to three!
The point you might
not (sadly) mean something to the people you feel you should mean something too,
but you mean something to someone You are important You are so important. I don’t know anything about how you can find
your purpose LOL (laugh out Loud) I read the “Purpose Driven Life,” and I will
confess – I didn’t get it. I wanted that
last page to say “Senetra your purpose is…”
And I wish I could stop whatever pain or depression you are in. I can ask you to pray and I will pray too. But I demand that you know you are necessary
you are important there is no smile like
yours there is no gift like yours – Hope this helps you hold on! You are loved and you will be missed!
No comments:
Post a Comment