My Sunny Side: What relationship in your life has made you the happiest?
When I think of how to respond to this question, I realize how many variations of happiness there can be. There is the happiness that a lover can bring, a mother can give, and a friend can share; they are all unique in their manifestation. But to me, the greatest happiness is one that lasts; one that outlives a passionate romance, a tumultuous friendship, or a volatile family tie. It is a happiness that is reliable, consistent, and unconditional. That has always been the case with my Auntie Nette.
My “Auntie Nette”, as I have called her since birth, has been the sunshine of my life. When my mother was sick with cancer or my Nana was dying, she took care of me a great deal. She is the most selfless person I know; whether she was up in the early morning hours when I had a tummy ache (which I seemed to have on nearly a nightly basis probably because I just liked to watch Nick at Nite with her) or fixing me my favorite gourmet entrée of mashed potatoes, chicken, and corn all mixed together.
This lasted for years, and then, Auntie Nette had to move away. She’s a real life Mary Poppins, as I like to say. She takes care of you until you are ready to be independent, and then she takes care of another child that needs her help. She was a true blessing for the time that I had her but I’m glad that I’m not the only one who got to experience her being “practically perfect in every way.”
Auntie Nette still visits me every few months and I talk to her at least a couple times a week. She brings happiness to my life without fail. She is always there to offer a prayer, say two hours worth of kind words (we can hold a phone conversation like no other), or be a pseudo-shoulder to cry on. She is my confidant, friend, and beloved aunt. I can only hope that I have brought a “spoonful of happiness” into her life. (You think I’ve seen Mary Poppins enough times?)
What relationship in your life makes you the happiest?
When I think of how to respond to this question, I realize how many variations of happiness there can be. There is the happiness that a lover can bring, a mother can give, and a friend can share; they are all unique in their manifestation. But to me, the greatest happiness is one that lasts; one that outlives a passionate romance, a tumultuous friendship, or a volatile family tie. It is a happiness that is reliable, consistent, and unconditional. That has always been the case with my Auntie Nette.