She Was My "Aunt Brenda"

“Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31:25-31‬

She was the type of woman who made you smile every time she opened her mouth. She was the life of the party and the one that understood how to respond when you were hurting. She was smart. She was feisty. She loved her family with a ferocity that I don't know if I've ever seen rivaled. She loved her high school sweetheart all her life. She was so proud of her daughter and son and never ran out of stories about their lives. She would send me the sweetest most encouraging messages about my struggles even when she was in the midst of her life's biggest turmoil. She was my mama's sister even though my mama was an only child. 

She was your number one fan and your biggest ally. She knew her granddaughters were superstars and didn't mind telling you. She didn't want to ever miss a performance or ballgame. She made you feel like you could accomplish anything. She could rock and drink coffee for hours on end. She knew when to let you know what she thought and she knew when to keep her thoughts to herself. She was a warrior for her loved ones. She made regular everyday events feel special special. She had a laugh that made you laugh and a smile that made you smile. She'd hang wallpaper and not break one of her manicured nails.

 She loved to make things festive. She had a flair for floral arrangements. She made Christmas a fun fancy formal event for her family and I've always been a little jealous that my family didn't do the same. She could sit for glamour shots with her girls one day and host an educational symposium the next. I can't think of one thing at which she ever failed. She made me the best cheeseburger I think I ever had one summer when I was a child. 

She knew how to talk my mama down when my mama was mad at me. She knew how to put me in my place when I was mad at my mama. She loved me like a daughter. She was proud of me for making it when the odds were stacked against me. She loved to rock my babies when they were little and she always made time for them as they got older. She was the go to wedding planner, party planner, shower planner, etc. She cleaned my house when I was in the hospital with my first child. She helped me paint and hang wallpaper to get my house ready to move in for my second child. She never expected anything in return. 

She took us to the pool when we were kids and packed a mean picnic lunch. She let us hang our heads out of the sunroof of her sporty little celica. She made me birthday cakes with real buttercream icing. She was my birthday buddy. She always made me feel good about myself, even in the darkest times of my life.

She buried her father and her sister and her brother. She understood that life was fragile. She knew when she started this battle with cancer that it would be the biggest war she ever fought. She fought with a strength and dignity and fierceness that I haven't seen in many people considering the severity of her diagnosis. She also knew when to call it quits. She knew she was going to be with Jesus. She wanted everyone else to know Jesus too. She was my "Aunt" Brenda and now she's gone and right now the world is a little less sparkly without her in it.