Growing up, I was never close to my extended family. When I was four years old we moved halfway across the country to Florida, and all of my extended family was still living in New York.
Moving back to New York after spending seven years of childhood in Florida posed many challenges. But amidst these challenges, there was Aunt Kathy, an absolute queen.
Being the youngest of four girls, I hope to be an aunt someday soon, but I will be darned if I am the aunt that my nieces or nephews only see once a year for Christmas.
I want them to come to me with questions, for wisdom, and for the little treats I am going to store in my pockets for them. I could not imagine a world where I am not inextricably immersed in the lives of my future nieces and or nephews.
I want to be Aunt Kathy. She is wise. She is fun. Her laugh can be heard from the room over. She detests cleaning, always needs extra napkins at the dinner table and carries life-saver mints in her purse.
I think at this point she has me classically conditioned with the mints because every time I walk into church I crave one. And there they are sitting right on my seat.
But above all, Aunt Kathy has been one of the biggest spiritual mentors in my Christian walk. They say you should have a mentor leading you, a friend walking beside you, and someone you are disciplining in your sanctification. Before I became a Christian, she was praying for me. As I have grown in my walk, she has answered questions and encouraged me as a sister in Christ.
Although I am away at school, she consistently checks up on me and is graceful when I do not return a text. We talk about life and mental health and all of the above. Although she is older, she does not talk down upon me. She is curious to learn from my experiences, schooling and the books I read.
Her random Facebook memes are my favorite. The other day she sent me a meme that said “The fact that my entire body cracks like a glowstick whenever I move and yet refuses to actually glow is very disappointing”. Thereafter, we chatted about what color we would glow. Then she informed me of her latest thrift find a $9 blazer that was actually $350 when it retailed.
Not only is she invested in my life, but my best friend and boyfriend consider her family. She ran a virtual bible study for us when we were away at school and is always asking for new ways to pray for each of us.
Lately, I have been reflecting on how I would like to be closer to more of my extended family and how our society does not value that as much as it once did.
The relationship that Kathy and I share provides me with hope that we can battle the individualism of this nation’s culture. We truly do need one another.
And I hope that you have or someday can find an Aunt Kathy of your own.