Family...

Family...

Mom's sister, Doris, died today after a three and a half years of cancer. She maintained her sense of humor and perspective through it all.

One of my favorite memories is Thanksgiving dinner. Every year our family trundled to Aunt Doris' for Thanksgiving. (Easter was at my folk's.) When we were maybe 7 or 8, my cousin Chuck taught me how to make the glassware hum. Sometime at the enormous Thanksgiving dinner, we'd each dip a finger in our water glasses and rub them in circles around the rim. It became a family tradition.

What a wonderful sound!! It should have been, it was Aunt Doris' fancy lead crystal. She protested. We ignored her as only preadolescents and teenagers can do.

For the record, we never broke a glass. And I'm pretty sure Aunt Doris forgave me.

Fast forward to another favorite memory. This was Easter dinner some years later when my brother was in his college years. The whole family is squeezed in around the round oak table, extended as far North and South as possible. The traditional ham dinner was winding down, but we hadn't hit the pie course with what were certainly cream, pecan and apple pies. In some lull in the conversation, Doris blurts out to my brother: "So Pete, how's your love life?" It was the question we were all dying to ask, but in our family only Aunt Doris could get away with it. (As I recall, the question elicited an ill-formed and stammered answer; but memory is a funny thing.)

Doris kept in touch with me and took a great interest in my kid's adventures. She knew what they were up to and welcomed them always to her home. She loved the story of the 2nd graders at Chandler insisting that Ben looked like Jesus (or did he look like God?) and was delighted when 'Jesus' came to visit her a few weeks ago. ("You all go on out. I want to sit and talk with Jesus.")

We miss you Doris.

Godspeed.