Aunt Linda

We try hard not to have favorites. It's rude to favor one person over another. Or at least to show it. As I get older, I don't care so much about being rude or polite. Don't get me wrong, I am a polite person, for the most part. But today, I want to talk about my favorite Aunt.

I met her when I was about 12 and she was in her early twenties. She was the coolest woman I had ever met! She was a tall pretty Texan with the longest hair I had ever seen. She had just married my Uncle, and best of all she was a "horse person". Linda had a horse named Diamond.

Through my summers spent in Texas, Aunt Linda gave me the best gift ever. Diamond. She was mine for the summer, as long as I took care of her. Duh!!! I would walk on water for that horse! She was a beauty & the sweetest horse ever. That was probably what sealed the deal that I knew Linda was the coolest ever.

But she was so much more to me than the horse Aunt. She was also the person that explained things to me when I was a teen with so many questions. She talked to me. She had faith in me and made me feel so extraordinary. She was my biggest fan as I was hers. I loved that she always made time for me.

She was pregnant when I was 13. I was fascinated with her growing tummy. She'd let me feel him kick & I was just so amazed! Baby Tully was the tiniest thing I ever held. She made me want to be a mother.

I also had a blast with her. She was one of my first "adult friends" and I loved how she treated me like an adult. When I was 17, my Grandma Kitty, Linda & I went out for Cocktails. (The drinking age was 18 in Texas back in the seventies, I don't remember how they convinced the Bouncer I was 18, but anyway..). I got introduced to flaming drinks, crazy drinks & shots. We sang with the band! It was hilarious.

As an adult, I lost touch a bit. We kept up with the Christmas cards, but that was about it. She was always there in my heart. I would pick up the phone, and never miss a beat with her. I sat with her at my Grandparents funerals, and hated that we never see each other. Within the past couple of years, with the help of email, we are close again. I love getting emails from her & she sends the best forwards. She is my confidant, I can tell her anything and she has a gift of helping me see through it.

She is no longer a horse person. She has moved on to goats. Now she is my goat person. And now I too love goats! She is still that beautiful tall Texan with the long hair.

I love my Aunt Linda!