19 years ago today

This is a picture of my niece. For a minute I considered cropping this picture, but then thought, oh no. Let's include Heidi's hyper face, the gaudy linoleum, the old laminate counter tops all cracked and terrible.

The girl in the blue print shirt is Lori's little girl. She's in all the birthday party pictures.

About my niece-- When she was little, she didn't like to talk to people, not even me. Sometimes when I'd talk to her, she'd actually turn her head away. Pam insisted she really did like me, that she was just shy.

When Little Jay was a baby, we called him Baby Jay. Well, my niece had a big doll she called Baby Jay. She took care of him just the way I took care of Jay. Pam pointed out how she even said the same things to her baby that I said to mine. And hers started crawling just about the same time Jay did.

Here she'd been quietly watching everything the whole time.

This is a picture of her from a couple years ago-- all grown up, all of us cooking hot dogs in the campfire on a summer night. She's the tall one in the pink t-shirt. Hey, honey!

So nineteen years ago today, when she was three, her mother happened to leave her and her older brother here to be babysat. While she was here that day, she stuck right by my side, even sat on the stool next to the sink with her cupcake while I loaded the dishwasher.

Later in the afternoon, we sprawled crosswise on my bed, chins propped on our hands, and watched the leaves falling off the maple tree. It was sunny and they were illuminated orange and yellow, dusting down every which way in the breeze, just a gorgeous afternoon.

And she talked. She went on and on about their trip to the apple orchard, the wagon ride, the apples, and I was almost afraid to even ask any questions in case she'd get shy again.


Anyway, you. Thanks for making October 6 a magic day I won't ever forget. love, Aunt Val