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Aunt Norma....Forever Smiling
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In the early 1970's I was always excited to see the silver-blue Bonneville convertible rolling up our driveway. My Aunt Norma and my Aunt Ann would have 5-6 kids piled in the back...no seatbelts....laughing and honking the horn. The memory is so vivid I can actually feel my feet jumping down our front steps, rushing to the side of the car to grab the first kiss from my aunts. Everyone yelling and calling out as if we hadn’t just seen each other a few days before.
I have five mothers. One who is my biological mother and the others....her sisters. I saw all of "my mothers" often. Of the eighteen grandchildren these sisters produced, fourteen lived within twenty minutes of one another. I saw my cousins frequently! My real mother is irreplaceable, however; the other mothers are a close second.
Aunt Norma radiated happiness wherever she went, with whomever she knew….and even those she didn’t know. I can’t recall a time that I was in her presence and she wasn’t happy. She brought joy and laughter to every gathering we had. The day I became engaged to my husband, we headed to my home to spread the news. The second place we went was my Aunt Norma’s home. She was so excited that she jumped up and down and did her famous belly dance for me….her dancing skills were amazing! Each and every trip that we made from Indiana to New Jersey included a stop at Aunt Norma’s.
My aunt had many loves but there were five at the top of her list. Her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her family and her friends. My Aunt Norma and Uncle Bob met 46 years ago and were married for 44 years. They shared a special bond, admiration and love for one another….I can hear her calling out to my uncle…”Hey Babe”. The center of my aunt’s universe revolved around three people….her children…Jeanie, Anthony and Michael. And from those three came the bright shining stars, her grandchildren. A little over a year ago my aunt flew out to Indiana to spend a week with my mom. Even though we talked about everything under the sun, and laughed up a storm, her eyes would sparkle the most when talking about her five grandsons.
I’m not really sure if five sisters could be any closer….I can only imagine the secrets that each of them holds for the other. Their brother, my Uncle Robert, is the rock that they all lean on. Now that two sisters are gone, it makes all of us want to hug each other a bit tighter. And we do.
Thank you Aunt Norma for being that sunny person I could always go and spend time with. You are a part of me forever. The love and joy you brought to all of us is what I will hold near and dear. What I see now when I think of you is a memory from the backseat of the Bonneville….the top is down, the sun is shining, we are all laughing. You look back at me from the front seat and all I can see is the beautiful sparkle in your eye and the deep dimple….taking us on our next adventure.
The early years.... |
| Joyful....Joyful....Joyful |
| The loves of her life....her husband, her sisters, her friends, and her children. |
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