This morning a truly amazing woman entered heaven. She was 100 years old and she lived her life investing in other people. One of those people was me. Aunt Mildred (not really my Aunt) was the Mom of my first best friend. I met Linda when I was in the 1st grade. I don’t know what made us friends. Maybe at that age, it was because we both liked the same color or maybe she sat at my table and we thought that meant you had to be friends. At any rate, God planted a forever friendship in our life that still exists today.
I grew up in a difficult home. Linda’s house was very different. She was an only child born when her Mom was almost 45 and when her Dad was in his 50’s. Aunt Mildred, always wanted Linda’s friends to be around. She cooked for us, took us places, hugged us, encouraged us. Linda’s Dad died when we were in Junior High. Now as I look back, it is really amazing to me that Aunt Mildred did all she did with us and for us. She was 50-something widow and it would have been easier to just invest in her own daughter. But she didn’t. She took us to Charm School (might have been a waste of money there!) She let us cook elaborate dinners for our friends and never fussed about the messes we surely made. She took us to concerts and youth camps. As we got older, she had fancy dinner parties for us with china and crystal. She even let us throw a couple parties of our own! She listened to us as we cried over one boy or another and always told us we were too good for that boy anyway. As I grew up, it was Linda and Aunt Mildred who threw my wedding and baby showers. Linda was my first best friend. Linda’s Mom taught me how to be a wife and Mom. I had the opportunity in July to go to Corpus to Aunt Mildred’s 100 birthday party, I had the privilege to kneel at her feet and say thank you. I also was able to say thank you to Linda for sharing her Mom with all of us girls. Though we were all grown up, most of us with grandchildren, as we gathered around this wonderful women, she saw us once again as little girls she had invested in. We were all there that night celebrating with her, but she ended up celebrating all God had done in each of our lives.
She lived her life with such grace and dignity. She died in the same manner. I am a different person and my children had a better Mom, because of the way Aunt Mildred invested in my young life. I am forever grateful.
Is there a someone special from your childhood that you are thankful for?
