My Dear Aunt

It was a beautiful afternoon and I can remember the sunlight

glistening on the snow as I drove along the highway. There were few cars and I was reminded of how the snow tends to slow us down

and in so doing, we see things more clearly. Over the past year, I had been coming to visit my Aunt more frequently, so I memorized every country store, each turn in the road and every speed trap!

As I hopped out of the car and climbed the stairs to the porch, I noticed that each ornament, table and chair was always in it's place. That's how my Aunt liked things."Everything has it's own place," she would remind me. She even remembered to change the date on a wooden calendar, with individual numbers, and she did it every single day! Her house was always warm and smelled like cinnamon. I looked around to see that everything was in it's place.

Even though she knew I was coming, I pretended to surprise her, by wrapping my arms around her and asking, "is this my dear Aunt?"

She responded in the expected fashion,"is this my dear

niece?" I sat down on the floor next to her and looked at her latest artistic endeavors, which consisted of pages and pages of colored pictures. She showed me each of them, smiling and pointing at the animals and flowers. She no longer called them by name and would tell me that I should remember what they were called. As we looked

at family photos, she seemed quite happy to see the lovely people,

but she did not call our family members by name.

As I looked into her dark blue eyes, they were just as mischievous

as they were years earlier, when she played practical jokes on her

brothers. She knew me, but she did not know my name. We laughed

at old movies and songs, but I knew that she did not remember the names. She was sitting right there in front of me and yet, somehow she was not. I knew that each moment was precious and timeless. She could not remember, but I could remember for her.

For those of us who have loved ones who cannot remember, we

can remember for them. We can sit with them, laugh with them,

and cherish every moment that we have. "My Dear Aunt" may

forget many things, but she never forgets her prayers or who loves

her. Even in her dreams, we can hear her calling out to God.

I hope to someday know God's love so much that even when I

can remember nothing else, I will still remember God loves me.

This post is for all of us who are trying to remember for our

loved ones who no longer can.