A Proper Good-bye

These kinds of posts are a bit difficult for me to begin.  Or end.  It's because I have some very tender feelings that I'm not really sure how to express properly.  My sweet Aunt Julie passed away a few weeks ago leaving a hole in the hearts of her family.  I have memories of a devoted, hard-working woman who did everything she could to give her children the best!  Spending time in the hot Las Vegas summers at my grandparent's home, I remember having to wait until later in the day for her to get home from work to bring my cousins to Grandma's to play in the pool.  Now that I'm a mom, and have worked outside my home, I have a little different perspective on her.  I'm sure she was exhausted after being a bank teller and standing on her feet all day.  But I know that she thought more about her children than herself and would do those types of things all the time (i.e. school activities, ball games, etc.) to show her love and support for her children.  There are many things that I learned of her over the years.  Things that could make any person feel bitter and sorrowful.  But not Aunt Julie!  She always had a positive attitude and I will always remember her beautiful smile!  Even when I went to see her 5 or 6 weeks before she died, she smiled through her pain.  I come from a long line of strong women and I know this is the same source from which she gleaned her strength.  What a great example to me of someone who could overcome adversity with a positive attitude.  Being her niece was a privilege and I hope I can be a fraction of the mother, sister, aunt or daughter that she was.  I am so sorry for the huge loss that my cousins are experiencing.  I can't imagine the sorrow or the ginormous hole in their hearts from losing their mom.   But I am so thankful that they know that she lives on.  That she's with our Grandparents and that she, as well as Grandpa, are pain free.  That we are an eternal family.  There is much peace in believing in Jesus Christ and that through him we will see our loved ones again.  To Leigh Ann, Ed, Em and Tony, I am so thankful that we were able to come and spend a few days and grieve with you.  No matter how far away we may be from each other or how old we get, please know that I am so grateful to call you all family and that my door is always open to you and your families!  We share the Nottage genes which may tell us a lot about the kind of folk we are, but it also binds us like nothing else can.  Love you guys!