Everyone Loves Aunt Jane

Aunt Jane fishing up in Vermont last summer with my sister Marilyn.
Aunt Jane had just turned 81 at this point.

August 19, 2014
Day 111

Today is my Aunt Jane's 82nd birthday, so who else to feature than this wonderful woman I've been so blessed to have in my life.

Aunt Jane is my mom's older sister, and since she never married, she's always been a second mom to all of us.  At one point I used to say, "like a second mother", but the distinction is important, and I'm happy to have learned to leave that "like" out now!  She is our second mother!

At her great-great niece Emma's birthday in 2013. 80 years young.

There are a million things I could tell you about Aunt Jane: how she's always been firm but filled with love, always a teacher but always willing to be taught too, and of course how beautiful she is--of that, I must be clear!  But more than any of this, she's just been a very, very good human being.

Aunt Jane's got a list of charities she gives to all the time.  She's smart enough to say no to the ones who pester her incessantly, but gives generously as often as she can.  But money alone is not what makes this woman generous, because Aunt Jane has always been beyond generous with her time and attention.  When you sit down to speak with her, she listens carefully to what you have to say, and she shows a genuine interest in your story.  The rest of the world stops when you're in a moment like this with Aunt Jane, and nothing else matters but the experience you're sharing with her.  These are just some of the many reasons why we all see her as our second mother.

Her unconditional love has never, ever wavered, and her dedication to each and every one of her many, many family members is proof of this.  With all of the medical struggles she's faced in recent years, especially in relation to her Parkinson's, Aunt Jane still always knows all of us very well.  Every child, every name, every story.  She hates that her age and illness slow her down, but she handles it all with so much grace and dignity, and is a true inspiration to us all.

So today, please send a happy birthday wish to Aunt Jane, either in a response to this sharing online, or as a prayer of thanks to God.  There are lots of people we incorrectly (though generously) call saints in this world, but I gotta tell you, this woman right here?  She is hands-down the saintliest woman I know, and if you have ever had the pleasure of meeting her, you'd absolutely agree!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Jane, and...Happy Birthday, Other Mom!  I love you SO MUCH!!!