I love you....and eat your vegetables!

I have some very sad news to share.

My Aunt Veta passed away this afternoon. While my heart is saddened that's she's gone, I also feel calm about it. I'm glad that she doesn't have to fight anymore. She's been sick and in pain for so long... but now she's in Heaven with God and Jesus, and getting to see her daughter Carla, as well as her dad (my grandfather, who passed away when I was in the 5th grade). It's a nice image to picture in my head!

I'll certainly miss her though. She always called me her "Monday Baby," even as I grew up to be old enough to have kids of my own. When I was a baby and my family lived in Abilene, Aunt Veta would take care of me on Mondays, thus I was her Monday Baby.

I have a lot of fun memories of being at her house as a kid: playing in a big pile of soft sand at the end of the driveway, easter egg hunts (it was at her house the year my basket got so full and heavy that it broke!), being around the horses, and eating Honey Smacks cereal!

Then there was the time she picked me up from our house in Greenwood with my grandmother Memaw, to go stay with her for a week or so. I got in the car, but my luggage stayed in the driveway! Of course, we didn't realize it until we were already in Anson. I had absolutely no clothes - but I remember the trip to the local, tiny department store in Anson (Heidenhamer's? or something like that) for some "essentials" and PJs! I also ended up with some of my cousin Melissa's clothes (including a black bathing suit with rainbow stripes and polka dots on the ruffle!).

I'm very happy that I do have a good recent memory of her as well. When she first went into the hospital, Rick and I drove to Abilene for the night, so we could see her. That evening, she was pretty much out of it due to the pain medications, but the next morning when we saw her, she was very happy to see us, and we talked a bit. She knew exactly who we were then (but didn't remember us being there the night before). She hadn't been eating much so...

...As we said goodbye, my last words to her went something like this, "I love you, take care, and eat your vegetables!"