This past week has been a tough one. My beloved Aunt Dorothy passed away after 88 years of filling the world with love and making it a better place.
Truth be told, Aunt Dorothy isn't biologically related to me, but I've known her since I was born and she has been like a grandma to me throughout my life. Her love knew no bounds and she deeply loved not only her family, but also people like my sister and I who she adopted as her own.
Some of my earliest memories were of sitting in her lap and playing with the beautiful brooch necklaces she wore. She and Uncle Milty (her husband) watched me when my parents were at the hospital when my sister was born. I have great memories of playing at Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Milty's house when they lived in Cleveland and visiting them in North Carolina after they moved there. Growing up, Aunt Dorothy was always there providing love and support.
As I got older, she also set a wonderful example for me as a woman to aspire to be like. Through her life she taught me that you should always keep learning and that you can always keep redefining your life. How many women born in 1925 do you know that took a computer programming class?
She retired no less than three times. She was always on the go so she would get bored being retired and end up working again, always making herself indispensable wherever she went. The final time she retired was not much different as she then started volunteering at a hospital.
She truly defined the term "young at heart." Her collection of teddy bears was legendary. She was always on the move and had a quite a lead foot while driving. Watching her tear off down the street in her car always made me smile. She was also a talented piano player and organist. Up through her early eighties she would volunteer to play piano for sing-alongs at a retirement home, often times for people younger than her.
Aunt Dorothy has always been such a constant in my life that that right now I can't really imagine a world without her in it anymore. What is certain is that I have been incredibly lucky to have known Aunt Dorothy and to have had her be a part of my life.