No. 1 left today on a flight to Colorado to visit her dad's "Aunt" Helen. I think she's 92 years old now (Aunt Helen...not No. 1), but nobody thinks of her as "Aunt". She's the only mom he's had since his died when he was 19. Th3ungin is there, as well, but he's informed me that if I post another picture of him on the internet... he'll... Anyway, Helen is/was a great woman. I say this from the standpoint of having spent almost 20 years as her "daughter-in-law". Who has anything good to say about mothers-in-law? [again...this is the only mother "figure" in the picture, and she stepped up to the plate] Mothers-in-law are as reviled in popular culture as stepmoms, but with fewer songs made about them. Helen lived her life one step above the grade. I haven't had the opportunity to see her in recent years, but I've sent my kids to her with the same message of, "you're a great woman", to which she's replied, "What did *I* do that was special?" #*$^ What did you do that was NOT? We're not gonna have Helen much longer (just looking at longevity statistics), so I want to dedicate this thread to Helen and all the other Helens out there who make our lives special without them even noticing.
4 comments:
I guess the term "Aunt" can be used pretty loosely. We, too, call her Aunt Helen! Even Carolyn sends emails out to everyone saying "Aunt Helen Update".
I've learned over the years that there's few people who can get my dad to break out the good china. Aunt Helen is one of them. Just hearing the way he talks about her lets me know that she is someone he truly respects and loves.
And to help answer part of the question of "What did *I* do?": Aunt Helen taught me how to sew on one of her trips to Chicago, and I used my newfound skill to sew the dress I wore for my 8th grade school picture.
Outside of that, she has always been kind, polite, cheerful, and a delight to be around.
We love you Aunt Helen!!!
xoxoxo
She was quite the seamstress, wasn't she? She made me an outfit my second or third year of marriage to her nephew/son that became a favorite of mine. 'course she ALSO had us over for dinner every Sunday.
I have more fond recollections of Helen than most folks on the planet!
Hard NOT to love the woman! Ya done good, Helen! AND folks NOTICED that ya done good. Heh. Doesn't ALWAYS work that way, but it did in YOUR case.
Em went to collect #1 from the airport a while ago and I'm gonna show her how to sign up and post here pretty much specifically so she can tell us how she enjoyed her trip to see Helen in Colorado, although I'll encourage her to post elsewhere so she can talk about me behind my back and all that. J/K.
Thyungin: Would you like some of those photos you took included in this thread? I can't see them well because my monitor is still FUBAR. Let me know or send me the ones you think look good. k? TNX.
You never did like combing your hair, Bruce. Heh. What are hair-combing expectations these days? I'm of the opinion that combing damages hair, so you might try that excuse next time someone badgers you about hair-combing. I'm pretty sure we could work environmentalism into our laziness, as well. I keep my hair long enough to not require much hair-combing; just flip it over the headboard at night so it doesn't get tangled with sleep. LOL.
No. 1 thought she WAS honest, though, (even about hair) suggesting that she'd like to take Th3yungin's ponytail and snip it off.
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