my mother's sisters,
my aunts
elsa & ella,
lived close to us
during
my childhood
in california.
i grew up
with them
visiting
often.
i remember
listening
to them
laugh
and chat
in german
over tea
on warm
summer
afternoons
on
the porch...
besides
my parents,
they were
the most
important
and
influential
adults
in my life.
i have always
felt like
they were
more than
just aunts-
they were
like
my two
other
mothers.
 |
| my aunt ella & i (1975) |
my siblings
are very
important
to me.
one of the
hardest parts
of being
so far away
is that
they cannot
share
the experience
of watching
vee grow.
so when
my brother joe
said he would
come and visit
i was
crazy happy.
i could
hardly wait
for him
to meet
little vee.
vee and i
met
him
at the airport
in zürich.
vee was
fascinated by joe
at first glance.
maybe
she knew
somehow
that
he was
connected
to me.
it was fun
to watch joe
with little
vee...
he was already
getting her
to take
practice steps
around
the apartment...
and
rough-housing
with her.
. . . . . . .
joe only visited
for a week
so we tried to
pack in
as much traveling
as we could...
vee was often
playing
at his side
on the train seat.
. . . . . . .
our views
from the train window
reminded
me of one of
joe's paintings...
. . . . . . .
joe spent
most mornings
staring
out at our view.
some
mornings
he painted
a little bit...
he left us a quick study
he did
from
the balcony.
he even
did
a quick painting
for
vee's room.
the trip
was too short
and before
we knew it
we were already
in zürich
watching
the sun go down
on our final
day together.
we already
miss him
a great deal.
xo
they look alike ;)
ReplyDeleteso sweet.
i wish i could visit !
xx
You know, maybe it's my mind making the assocation because she's named for her great-grandmoter, but from certain angles, I see shades of the original Valerie in her face. None of us siblings take obviously after that side, at least not physically, so it's interesting to see it show up in the next generation.
ReplyDeleteWe siblings feel the absence of our niece, especially after watching her cousin growing up in our midst, but that's the price of living in the modern, mobile world. As I write this, another family member is on her way to meet Vee, though lookng at my finances, I'm afraid our own meeting is going to have to wait till Mom's field work in Mexico next winter, by which time she'll be walking and talking.
These are major issues you're raising here, with no easy answers--do you stay close to home, but give up your ambitions, or do you heed the call, but miss out on sharing the lives of the people you love the most?
I read the above and fear I'll miss out on bonding with the niece I always hoped for--but at the same time I think if I stayed in the NW another six months I'd have gone insane.
That's the definition of quandary, a problem with no solution.