Strange Phrase Indeed by Kristin

Today was my cousin GG's funeral. It was a small, nice service, with a handful of cousins and a few caretakers. GG had friends, but not the type who send flowers and pay respects. I think that might be because this group is afraid that to look would be to summon the crystal ball. When you're truly living for today, even acknowledging tomorrow can be dangerous.

After the service, my cousins Rose, Ellen and Kathy (the-good-cop-bad-cop-save-the-world's-soul-by-starting-with-your-own-family-club), my sister Karee, cousins Jimmy and Tasha and I went up to see my Aunt Hazel. She's 79, looks 50, and acts 30. None of my aunts have ever acted their age. She wasn't home when we got there, but tore into the parking lot in a giant pickup truck as we were getting ready to leave.

We had a mini-reunion in her living room, and the stories (though most happened before my time) seemed so familiar and comforting.

Dad was the youngest of thirteen, and a few of his sisters are still alive. There's Aunt Hazel, of course. Aunt Dorothy is 100 years old now and she still does her hair and makeup every day. Aunt Bernice, who's always been my favorite, is 84, has been married seven times, and lives alone in Santa Barbara. She stopped chewing cherry tobacco a few years back (mouth cancer), but other than that she hasn't changed at all in 30 years.

Jimmy talked about how his mom (Bernice) and dad met. (He was her first husband.) She and her sister Bessie decided to walk from Rockford to Freeport (about 30 miles) to find something to do. On the way, a man on a motorcycle stopped and asked if she'd take a ride with him. She did.

Ellen and Aunt Hazel were remembering a time, probably 50 years ago, when she lived in an upstairs apartment with her husband Elmer. (Uncle Elmer was funny... he'd always eat the flowers off the table on a bet.) They had a small pool for the kids, but Hazel wouldn't put it out on the lawn because the downstairs neighbor was mean, and she thought that he'd stab it with a knife. She put it up on the deck and the kids were playing... having a good time. They splashed some water over the edge, of course, and grouchy-neighbor started yelling at them. Aunt Hazel came out and said, "Oh, I'm sorry.. did we spill water? I'll get rid of it." Then she dumped the pool down on top of him.

Those are my aunts. Raised by a mother of thirteen who kicked her husband out when the youngest was five years old. She raised them, she cooked pudding in a pressure cooker, she found time for volunteer work, she set my parents up to meet, she lived to be 98 with over a hundred grandchildren and great grandchildren.

I realized today that I come from a long line of strong, free-spirited, um.. strange women. I'm so happy to have THOSE genes that I'm almost not sad anymore about the big-hips and frightening-eyebrow genes. It's been an interesting day.