"Over the river and through the woods." These words were used to open that old song which is ordinarily heard at Thanksgiving time. This opening line of that song seemed a perfect title to begin what I intend to be a short tribute to my great-aunt Louise.
Many, perhaps even most of, my memories of Aunt Louise are centered around family trips to her home in Baltimore... every year at Thanksgiving while growing up as a child.
Memories still very clear and vivid even now in my 30s. The big old wooden swing at the edge of her driveway. The pond in her front yard that had the small island... with the little bridge leading up to it. The little playhouse which sat farther back from the driveway and up against the trees... which I always used to enjoy playing hide and seek in with my cousins Kelli and Andy... and somehow or another managed to get locked in there on more than one occasion!
Our last trip as a family there for the Thanksgiving holiday... well, our last overnight trip anyway... came in 1989, just a few days short of my 12th birthday. We had some snow earlier in the week and my cousins had built a snowman in the yard prior to our arrival. My younger cousin Andy, he was 7 years old at the time, knocked the snowman over and then blamed it on me. And Aunt Louise believed him! I remember being so mad over it then... but it's one of those memories I look back on now and can't help but chuckle a little. Kids being kids.
Aunt Louise loved children. She loved people in general anyway... but specifically as a child, I remember her home as being a very welcoming place for children of all ages. She had a very kind personality and a seemingly endless amount of patience. I never once heard her yell or raise her voice... ever!
Aunt Louise was a happy person. She loved to smile, and could truly light up a whole room... and always gave the greatest hugs too.
My visits with her and my great-uncle Bill were not as frequent during my teen and adult years, but we still kept in touch as often as was possible. When I lived in New Jersey from 2002-03, I used to enjoy stopping by to see them while traveling back and forth to/from Virginia... and will always treasure the hand-written letters I've received from her in the mail in more recent years.
Aunt Louise passed away on Monday morning... August 29th 2011, following a brief illness. It makes me sad that she is gone but I am thankful and very blessed to have so many wonderful memories of her.
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