Today would have been my Aunt Beki's 60th birthday (see my Mom's post here.). I can't imagine her as a 60-year-old.
Most of my memories of her are from the summer(s) she babysat us on Dobson Street in El Monte. We watched Bewitched, Beverly Hillbillies, and Let's Make a Deal all day long, and my Aunt Beki would make us laugh and laugh with her running commentary on the shows.
My aunt had babies herself in those years and if I could tell her anything now, I would tell her how much I learned about raising kids from her.
Now that I'm a dad, my mind always rushes back to her caring for her own children -- these were really first babies I remember being around. To me she was the archetypal mom and I thought she was the greatest. She was the one, afterall, who introduced me to Cheese Wiz.
In later years, she ceaselessly talked about how my brother and I were the greatest kids in the desert and how all the girls were after us--and if they weren't, they should be. That's what aunts are for.
A couple of years ago, my Mom wrote a brilliant piece eulogizing her sister Beki and Johnny Cash. KUSP in Santa Cruz recorded her reading it for their "First Person Singular" piece.
Go here to listen to it on-line (click the "play" arrow). You can also download it, but you will have to register on the site to access the file.
what a beautiful piece (loved the cheez whiz part!).
ReplyDeleteshe was a blessing in your life.
wendyxo