I was the oldest cousin in a rather large family, and often spent weeks in the summer with various grandparents and aunts and uncles. One of those aunts was my Aunt Barb, who married a farmer, and when I was young, lived in two rooms on the second floor of her in-laws’ house. During that time, there was no bathroom, only an outhouse, no running water, and she was raising three young girls in those rooms. As I reflect on this part of her life, I am astounded that she let me visit for at least a week at a time, and we had such fun. I had always had in-house plumbing in my own home, and my own bedroom, but I don’t remember being crowded, or missing a bathroom. What I do remember is swimming in her pond, picnics down by the creek ending with servings of her yummy chocolate cake, and reading stories at night before bedtime. She was a dramatic reader, and I loved hearing her read from the books available. Taking care of her chores, both inside and outside; along with mothering her children that included sewing all their clothes, and cooking amazingly wonderful meals can’t have been accomplished easily in her circumstances, yet she made me know that I was a loved niece and welcome always in her home. As a housewife who has griped about unloading the dishwasher, I wonder about her resilience, and about mine. How did she accomplish so much with so little? It’s a reflection to ponder.
You captured so much of your aunt's strong and happy spirit in this piece. You ask: "How did she accomplish so much with so little? It’s a reflection to ponder." Indeed - and also finding joy... we are so quick to complain these days, aren't we?!
ReplyDeleteAnd don't you find it interesting that you didn't notice the missing plumbing and the fact that it must have been a bit crowded? We think we need so much nowadays and that our children are so deprived if they don't have their own room, own TV, own bathroom, own, own, own...we need little more than love and acceptance. So precious that you had that!
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