Last week our Auntie Gertie passed away. She was our Nana's little seester. And, she lived a very long life. Also, she made a really good dessert with graham crackers and pudding. Nana and Auntie Gertie were good role models on how to be seesters and I am happy that they will be together again.
I hope that Auntie Gertie was just number three in the death happens in threes thing and not because I had another root canal appointment. But now I am seriously freaked. I have an appointment for my crown on Tuesday morning so consider yourselves warned.
While we are on the subject of life and death, one lesson has really been hitting me hard lately. You really should clean out your closet. And, you really should get in the picture with your kids. These two things are related, even though I say you should get in the picture with your kids every holiday season.
In the packing up of my mom's stuff and my mother-in-law's stuff (and stuff they kept from their moms ), we've found more photos of kids without their parents stacked in over-filled closets that are taking hours of our precious lives to sort and toss. We have no idea who the kids are because their mothers were too insecure to get in the photos with them (this weird trend seems to have started after 1981~ moms used to love posing with their families before that) and our moms felt too guilty to ever throw the photos out. Sudden death makes you realize you want to live but then you are standing in a closet with 25 years of school photos of kids you don't know and sudden death suddenly seems good. It's ok to look at photos of other people's kids once or twice then throw them out. Your friends just want you to tell them their kids are the best looking and smartest kids ever. That's all any mom wants to hear. You don't have to save school pictures of the kid next door forever. The only pictures your kids want to find when you are in heaven is the photos of you with them.
Or, if you really feel you have save the kid photos because the God of School Photos and Shutterfly Holiday Cards will seek revenge, please put all the photos of lone children not related to you (or the loved ones packing up your stuff) in an album or box clearly labeled NOT RELATIVES to make it easier later. I fear the God Of All Talk And No Action, so a few days ago I tossed all photos nobody else in my family knows then called my little brother and told him I just did him a huge favor that he will thank me for later. Then to be sure all the other Gods were still on my side, I told him I saved copies on a CD labeled NOT RELATIVES. Hey, I am still me. If I have ever sent you something and you feel weird throwing it out, for the love of whatever god you do or do not believe in, go ahead and toss it. I won't be mad. I will be happy that you are making your life or someone's else life easier. Enjoy whatever it was for however briefly or long you need to and then get rid of it. Then have a cookie (or two). The cookie part is a must. Then after the cookie break, learn how to use the self timer on your camera and get in the picture (with your kids, seester, brother, pet, spouse, lover, BFF, favorite shoes) even if you think your hair looks bad or you've got a few extra chins. Use your cell phone camera if it is all your have.
*iPhone photo on a windy day when the sun was really shiny. One of my favorite bad photos.