This is for you Aunt Barb

My family every year has a family cook out and pitch-in, where we get together and enjoy each others company. My family is fun, loud, laughing, and loving (now you know where I get it). My family is pretty close, my father has four sisters and two brothers. I used to love naming them all off in order, still do, I could do this by age nine I think. Ann, Barbara, Bertha, Bill, Larry, Jerry, Janet, it's harder to type than to say. Ann my father's oldest sister passed away a couple of years ago, she was the quietest of the bunch. I always thought she was the classiest ladies I'd ever known. Barbara is the next in line. I grew up in church, every Sunday, morning and night. Every Wednesday night, and any special services we were there. If the preacher washed the windows we filled our pew. Aunt Barbie was the church pianist. From what I know she had very few lesson, she played by ear. My family is very musical, out of the seven children, they all sing a different part. Any time they got together they sang. Christmas was a particular favorite, and Aunt Barbie was always in the middle of it all, playing the piano. Never wanting to be in the spotlight, always backing everyone else up. In fact, she has the most beautiful alto voices you could ever hear. Once again, singing the harmony, making the spotlight sound better by her contribution. I love my Aunt Barbie like a second mother, and always wanted to be like her. I can't play the piano, but I do sing alto. I personally don't think I can hold a candle to her.
In my family, we inherit several things. A love of music, a wacky sense of humor, a strong sense of patriotism and loyalty, and aleshiemers. It is so prevalent that we joke about it. We say you start out with sometimers, then progress in to part-timers, before finally making it to allstimers.
Aunt Barbie has not been singing much anymore. She is very quiet, too quiet. It breaks my heart to see her slipping away. This bright, intelligent, loving woman.
Today we had the cookout just as always. Aunt Barbie was there, smiling, sitting by her husband trying to pick out the ones she knew from the ones she didn't. I kissed her as I left and told her I loved her. She told me she loved me, but I'm not real sure she knew who I was. Oh well, it still counts anyway right?