Pieces Of April: The hummingbirds cry for you

We will always remember Aunt Alice for the things she loved in nature, the hummingbirds, butterflies, and Gladiolus. They filled her home & were more than hobbies, they were part of her. Maybe it was because they reminded her of the One who created it all or maybe it was just because she longed for something more than the dust storms of good ol'Texas. I am & will always think of her fondly when I see a hummingbird in my window, hear an Alan Jackson song, or am called "Honey". As I reflect on the memories we have shared, I see pieces of me in her. It is strange I never saw it before. I have always held her in a place of respect and love but we shared more than our Christian faith and family ties, we shared a need to see the world through a lens, to create a home that reflects who we are & the life we want. She always had the same demeanor through heartache and joy but inside of her, the creative side, had to come from emotions never shared aloud. She lived in West Texas where the front yards are graveled instead of mowed but in her home you where in Padre Island or better yet the Pacific Coast of California. She grew plants and flowers indoors, as if she threw up her green thumb to that Desert Sun! When I was much younger I recall the cakes she would bake. No not a round cake, never, the shape of my favorite Cabbage Patch Doll that would put the twinkle in my eye. So many moments on film not in my mind's eye because with her large camera she stood by. A day at the park, Mama's wedding & Ivory's wedding all just a photograph away thanks to Aunt Alice. She had a thirst to see the world but waited patiently for a ride to town to buy a slice of Pizza Pie. I wait (sometimes not so patiently) for the Pizza guy. The list goes on and on in the ways we are alike but what I desire more than anything is to have her gentle spirit and her unwavering faith. I hope that at the end of my life I am more like her than a 'just little'. The title Aunt does not quite suit what she meant to me but it will have to do for the masses to understand. I dream of days filled with the fragrance of your favorite flower and even a cat or two (she loved nature but was not fond of cats, lol). I long for the day I can hear you say "Honey, can you take a look....?" I bet she waits patiently.