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| Aunt Vonnie with her great nephew, James. James' dad, Jeff is only 3 years younger than Von. They were pals :) |
My beautiful aunt Vonnie passed away two weeks ago, on March 26th*. She was only 45. I grew up with my aunt Von. She was always there to hug me and tease me and tell me she loved me. She was always smiling and joking and laughing. She was just a beautiful, kind soul.
When I was little, I had a birthmark on my cheek. It was a mole and it had a tiny bit of peach fuzz on it. Aunt Von decided to pet it one day, and called it my "hairy little piglet", which she eventually shortened to "huppa". I had never had a nickname before, and I was elated about it. Even if it was not super flattering..... It was like this great joke just between us. And when you're 7, can you ask for anything better? My cool aunt and I have a secret joke! I loved it.
When I was little, I had a birthmark on my cheek. It was a mole and it had a tiny bit of peach fuzz on it. Aunt Von decided to pet it one day, and called it my "hairy little piglet", which she eventually shortened to "huppa". I had never had a nickname before, and I was elated about it. Even if it was not super flattering..... It was like this great joke just between us. And when you're 7, can you ask for anything better? My cool aunt and I have a secret joke! I loved it.
I am sad that my Aunt Yvonne isn't here with me to tease me and call me huppa. I miss her. But I know where she is, and I know she is happy and safe. Fear of death didn't seem to enter in to the equation for Von. A few months ago, at the funeral of my mom's dear friend Marcia, Von turned to me and said, "When I die, I want you and Jan to sing at my funeral, K?" I teared up instantly and laughingly said "Don't talk about stuff like that!" Maybe she knew something I didn't. When the time came, Janet and I were able to sing a song that Vonnie chose for us. I think both of us could feel her helping us and lifting us up as we sang (shaky though it may have been).
I am grateful that I knew my aunt von. So thankful for her birth mother for loving her enough to allow her to be adopted by my grandparents when she couldn't take care of her by herself. So happy my grandparents knew that sweet little Yvonne (or Adele, as she was named first) needed to be part of our family. I was blessed by her presence in my life. I will be blessed again when we meet after death. I am blessed to know that through Christ, we will all live together again. What a wonderful gift to remember.
* Am I not supposed to talk about death on my blog? I am bad with boundaries.
2 comments:
I'm so sorry, Wendy. And I say, it's your blog, so talk about whatever you want. I have no sense of boundaries though, so I'm probably not the best person to give that advice. Love you and miss you lots!!
This is your blog, my dear! Talk about whatever you want. No one is forced to read it. But if you must know, this is a beautiful post anda great tribute to a woman who I am sure was even better than this blog describes :) Love you.
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