Sunday, March 10, 2013

My Heart Weeps

My Heart Weeps ~ My Precious Aunt Sharon has passed away after enduring many long, courageous years with Alzheimer's disease.

She taught me how to jump rope in the living room in Oakland when I was five years old.  She always loved pink and yellow.  I remember she once had a room in her home that she called "The Pink Room" when she lived in Sonora, California.  I was so fascinated by a room completely decorated in pink and loved the pink plaid couch she had found to fill out the room.  I loved that pink room.  I loved how much she loved that pink room. 

She always told me the story of teaching me how to sing to the "Batman and Robin" soundtrack as a toddler, and I would stand by the stereo with her, singing "Baa, Baa!!! Baa, Baa!!!" while bouncing my legs up and down.

She was famous for her style of Spaghetti ~ made with the sauce already mixed in together with zesty parmesan cheese.  She lived by the pool, and her secret to staying young looking was putting Vaseline all over face.  When we would sleep over in the summertime, she would fix us a big bowl of peaches that she had coated with lots of sugar and left in the refrigerator to soak in overnight, so the sugary glaze had glistened to perfection by the morning.

She loved all sorts of childlike things like the Strawberry Shortcake girl, Care Bears, and any kind of teddy bear or other colorful stuffed animal.  She loved Dreamsicles and Blue Birds of Happiness. 


She dropped everything she was doing on her 37th birthday to rush to my family's side when I severely broke my jaw at age seven.  I bet she sped down those Sonora foothills just to get there as quick as she could.  She graciously took care of my brother and sister for days, so Mom and Dad could comfort me in the hospital.

She loved her family fiercely and was so proud of her husband and children.  She was a devout Catholic who prayed daily for her children's safety on the streets as police officers.  To this day, I do believe those daily prayers kept both of them safe from harm.  Her love and devotion for her family was truly boundless.

She was my mother's protector as a little girl.  Mama was five years younger which was a big age difference growing up together in the 1940s.  Mama would tell me how she would go down to Sharon's room when she had a bad dream as a little girl, and Sharon would comfort her by singing all sorts of little kid sayings like "That's the way the ball bounces" or "That's the way the cookie crumbles" ~ all in the middle of the night.

Somehow, I do not think she ever really ever got over losing her precious baby sister to cancer at age 54.  But she remained stoic for me and was my rock for all of those early years without her.

She was a power shopper and could find the best deals everywhere.  She loved Gemco.  She would always stock up on dish towels and bath towels and pass them out like candy to us whenever we would visit.

She loved to talk on the phone, and I remember Mama having many long distance conversations with her while making dinner.  After Mama died, I took over the role of regular chats.  Seems like both Mama and I always ended up talking a lot about Nanny with her!

She always ending our conversations or letters by saying, "I Be Lovin' You!!!"

My Heart Weeps ~ for her ~ for us ~ for the lost years without her ~

My Heart Weeps ~ for the joyous reunion of two Soul Sisters and the parents that brought them into this world ~


Sharing a glass of wine ~ and a good dose of gossip ~

Remembering those days so long ago in the middle of the night on a Chicken Ranch ~ when big sister put her arm around her little sister after a bad dream ~ making her laugh ~ with singsong sayings ~

"That's the way the ball bounces...That's the way the cookie crumbles...That's the way...."







Soul Sisters