This morning, my sister sent me a text that one of my aunts had passed away.
I was lucky to grow up with a mother who had eight other siblings. As kids, we always enjoyed family camp-outs together in the summer and big celebrations during the holiday seasons. We would have to rent out a hall big enough to hold everyone. It was a wonderful experience to reconnect with my extended family a couple times a year. Maybe my time filter seems a little distorted; but those days with my cousins, uncles, and aunts made the days seem longer and the sun that much brighter.
Those were fun times to be a kid.
My mom is the baby being held by one of her siblings. My Aunt Mary is the little blonde with the sun in her eyes, standing front and center of everyone.