Tag: friends

Being an Aunt

I had a lot of aunts growing up. Only my father’s sister and a sister-in-law on his side, but my mother had five sisters, as well as six brothers who all had wives (sometimes more than one each, though not simultaneously). I liked all my aunts, but I wasn’t very close to any of them as I got older, mostly because we didn’t see them often.

So my friend Lynne shared her two aunts with me. We had a blast with them. We forced them to act in our home movies (Forced? They loved mugging for the cameras!), cussed our way through games of cards and Monopoly and Yahtzee, and hounded them to make us their specialties in the kitchen (Lil’s fries and her chocolate pound cake; Audrey’s hushpuppies). I had loved Lynne’s mother as a second mother, and when she died, her sisters treated me as another of their nieces. When Tim and I wrote the aunts in THREE FORTUNES, very often it was my memories of Lynne’s aunts that I drew from.

I’m crazy about my nieces and nephews. I never had children, so I’m thrilled to have been part of their growing up. (I’m TOTALLY unbiased when I say that my sister and brother produced smart, funny, beautiful kids.) And because of Tom, I am an aunt to a second family of amazing children. Lynne’s son is, to me, another of my nephews. Even though I was fortunate enough to grow up within a good family that I love, I also learned from Lynne’s relatives that our biological family is not necessarily the only one we’ll ever have. And for people not as lucky as I am, created families may provide a wealth of love and support they wouldn’t otherwise know.

Aunt Audrey is ill, perhaps critically. Normally, I’d be jumping in the car with Lynne and going back to Alabama to take my place among my surrogate family and share this time together. Because of other commitments, I can’t. But I’ll be there in spirit with these incredible people who’ve been there for most of my life.

Safe journey, Lynne, and take my love with you to our family.

Visitor

Thursday, we had a visit from the BBQ Frito Fairy, who not only left a box full of goodies, but many cryptic messages on the box. Much in the way of leprechauns, the BBQ Frito Fairy comes and goes in a flash and mere mortals are never sure they spotted her. Sometimes we see her helpers (Greg, Garry, Lynne, Lindsey, Rhonda). But never the actual BBQ Frito Fairy.

Still, we believe.

Especially Margot.

Thanks, BBQ Frito Fairy!

You’ve got a friend

Yesterday, I was putting my hair back, and I realized I held a scrunchy (real name: Scunci) in my hand. I don’t own scrunchies. I’ve never purchased a scrunchy in my life. How did I come by this scrunchy?

After some thought, the answer: Lynne. We became friends at age twelve, and she always had cooler stuff than I did. Apparently, when I reached adulthood, I began to just blatantly steal from her. Not even cool stuff! Stuff I could have bought myself! Scrunchy! But it’s more fun to take hers.


Just two of many pairs of socks I’ve “borrowed” over the years. A plastic bowl which Lynne doesn’t even remember was once hers because I’ve had it so long (it’s one of our favorite popcorn bowls). A piece of Tupperware (she vows I’ve stolen more Tupperware than this, but it’s the only one I know is hers) that I like because of its shape and size. And of course, the mystery hair scrunchy.

I have no shame. I’m not sure I would have me as a friend.

Next week: A list of Lynne’s things that I’ve broken. (Kidding. LJ doesn’t provide enough space for that.)

How do you mistreat YOUR friends?

With Midol™ on the side


Today’s coffee cup is brought to us courtesy of Jim and Project Angel Food. Project Angel Food’s mission is to nourish the body and spirit of men, women, and children affected by HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses.

This cup mysteriously went missing for a while, then just as mysteriously reappeared. That crazy Rex and his coffee-drinking ways.