My sister Nancy had her first child when she was only nineteen. Maybe she knew that her time on this planet was limited and so she did what she could while she was here. Or perhaps she wanted to leave a legacy because she saw so many of her peers leave too soon. Whatever the reason, Nancy had two boys that she saw to young adulthood before she died.
After we lost Nancy, my sister Janice and I tried to fill up the space that she left for the boys. Janice lived nearby and did quite a bit for them. I lived 3,000 miles away and did what I could. Eventually my nephew Jimmy moved out to the west coast. After that I was able to see him more often and when his daughters were born I was only a few hours drive away.
Yesterday, Jimmy and his girlfriend Pearl came to visit me and they brought along his daughter Lorelie. This child has the beauty of her mother and the impish energy her father had at her age. But what’s most amazing to me is how much she looks like her grandmother, Nancy.
This morning Lorelie and I made a Chocolate Pecan Pie to take back home with them. She helped stir and taste the batter and she licked the bowl when we were done. She absolutely wore me out in just a few hours…but I wouldn’t miss a visit from her for the world. And one of my life’s goals is to be the best Great Aunt I can be… for my nephews, for their children, and especially for Nancy.
To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die.
Thomas Campbell
Pie a Day Give Away 