Aunts

Aunts...by definition, your mom or dad's sister, the wife of your uncle, or a particular person you give respect and affection to by dubbing her thus. They come in all shapes and sizes, attitudes and dispositions, but they are yours for a reason! I was lucky to have five special women I called "aunt."

There are some famous aunts we all know and love:

Like Opie's Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show. Why do we love her? She was a nurturer. She stepped in and stepped up when Opie lost his mother. She cooked and listened and loved. She had wisdom and grace. She was a lady.

The Bewitched tv series, which lasted eight seasons, brought Aunt Clara into our home to love. We loved her because she was innocent, gullible, funny, and found her herself in many a predicament with her not-so-strong witch skills. But she loved and adored little Tabitha, her great-niece. And we loved Aunt Clara's delightful facial expressions.

When Lamont's mother passed from Sanford & Son, good old Aunt Esther marched in to save her sister's son from the "evil leanings" of Lamont's dad, Fred. (Even though Lamont is grown, she still watches over him.) The fun begins then as she hits him over the head continually with her Bible, and tells him, "Watch it, Sucka!"

And then, there's the proverbial, "Cool Aunt." You know her...let's you get by with outrageous things your mom never would. 20 Things You'll Only Understand If You're the Cool Aunt Time to claim your P.A.N.K. card, ladies in Good Housekeeping July 21, 2017 is a hilarious, great article. (July 21, 2017) PANK: Professional Aunt, No Kids

My favorite is #15. You're the master of telling embarrassing family stories. Whether it's about that time Grandma got drunk at a party or when your sister peed her pants on a family road trip, you've got these kids hooked.

Maybe you recognize your aunt type or your aunt herself in these crazy characters? Maybe your aunt is a mix of them? All I Know, is that the aunts, like fairy godmothers, always seem to come along with their magic wands, and gift you with that special touch that can only come from hearts.

My magic-wanders were named Sis, 'Cile, Louise, Juanita, & Shirley. I will be forever grateful for their influence in my life.

Aunt Sis was the oldest daughter in my mother's family of siblings. Her name was short for sister because there had been three boys prior to her birth, so everyone just called her, "Sis." But Aunt Sis wasn't short in any area of her life otherwise. She was tough. Sometimes we kids even called her "Aunt Toughy." We knew to mind her, make no mistake about it, or we shortly found out to. But she was fair in her discipline and took the time to teach and laugh with us, relish in our accomplishments, and made us feel important. She was a hard worker. A no-nonsense woman. There was no drama or depression. She frankly, had no time for that at all. She had goals and determination. One foot in front of the other, she took the bull by the horns. We felt secure around her.

Aunt 'Cile, the middle daughter of my mother's family, was more of the dramatic nature, one. She could get a bit anxious at times, too. But she knew when and how to hold it together (when it counted.) She was one of the original 9-5 single working girls: professional, diligent, and she made sure to have a good line of credit, too. She stressed the importance of a good education to us for as long as I could remember. She also took care of her mother after she had become a widow, making sure she lacked for nothing. They always lived together. And when my mother divorced, it was her home we went to. I will always remember that it Aunt 'Cile that made me a beautiful lavender net dress with a matching umbrella to play my part in a school play. I reluctantly sang, "Lavender Blue, dilly dilly." We felt guided around her.

Now Aunt Louise, was my Uncle Jimmy's wife. Uncle Jimmy was closest to my mother in age. Both were the babies...baby daughter and baby son. Aunt Louise was good to our family, fit in perfectly, and was much adored. I loved her week-end visits. She always took us to new places. I went to a sunrise Easter service with her that I won't ever forget. Coffee and doughnuts in an outside venue. It was a wonderful experience for me. And she always brought the best gifts for birthdays. Paper-dolls from other countries, science books, a puppet theater. They opened my world of imagination up to new adventures. Losing her recently, I lost the last of that generation. She had always taken pictures and sent pictures, kept in touch. She gave us a sense of wonder.

Aunt Juanita, wasn't really my aunt, but she was my mother's first cousin from southern Mississippi and she shared the same color of jet black hair that my grandma had. She lived closer to us than she did her real nieces or nephews, so we kind of just adopted her into aunthood. I was astonished by her. She was so pretty and had such a sweet, charming southern smile and accent. But she was one smart lady. She was an air traffic comptroller. I used to love Star Trek, so anything that was in space or about space, was cool in my books. She was the coolest. But, what I loved the best about her was her ability to "see" me. She saw that my life wasn't all peaches and cream when I was a child. And one day she gave me the best of advice that helped get me through some rough times. In her gentile, sweet southern voice, she looked me in the eye, and said, "Make good grades, get a good job, and get the hell out of here." I loved her so very much for that. She gave me permission.

And lastly, there was Aunt Shirley. My father's only sister, my namesake. She passed away at seventeen. I carry her with me everyday of my life. I hope I've made her proud. She gave me her best, so I try to be the best because of her and because she can't live fully, I try to.

Now, I am only Aunt Shirley to one girl in this world, and that is to my favorite niece, Alaana. I don't know how Alaana would describe as an aunt, but I hope I have made her feel loved and given her something gift-worthy in her life. Don't forget to watch her on You Tube (Alaana Panu.)

Thank you to all the aunts out there....you are heroes and we love and adore you!!!!