My Aunt Kathy

There are few people on the planet whose voice calms my soul. One is my Mom, who still calls me "Pumpkinhead" when she says "I love you," and the other is my Aunt Kathy.

I know some of it has to do with the fact that she's my Mom's sister, so her voice has a familiar quality just like my Mom's.

But my Mom is up in the woods at Holden Village this week, and given what we've been through, Mom asked my Aunt Kathy if she would call me this week to check in.

Ever since my Mom left this week, Aunt Kath has called me nearly every day. It's Sunday night, and she hadn't called today, so I told Brian that I was going to call Aunt Kathy and give her a hard time since it'd been 24 whole hours since she called me.

When we talked, she laughed at me and said "I thought I'd give you a day off with your husband...I was trying to be good."

Well, Aunt Kathy is nothing if she isn't good. She's one of those people that if you know her, you love her. She's funny, smart, and just plain fun to talk to, because she gets me. Her sense of humor is the same as mine -- passed down through the generations I think -- so she's just a wisecracker like me. As much as I feel loved by my immediate family (Mom, brothers and sister), Aunt Kathy makes me feel loved as if I were one of her own children.

Tonight as we talked about what we did today, she said "It feels good to hear you." And I know she means it.

In the picture on this blog entry, Aunt Kathy is in the middle in the blue blouse. She and Mom went with us to Paris last fall, and it was one of my most favorite trips. Partly because I got to see Paris again, but mostly because I got to share it with two of my most favorite people in the world -- My aunt, and my mom.

Aunt Kathy, you are truly loved and appreciated. Don't ever forget that your niece in Denver loves you!