I wrote the following blog on Thursday. Last night (Friday) at 11:15pm Arizona time, my Aunt Dottie passed away. As far as I know, her family was with her. Good bye Aunt Dottie, may angels sing thee to thy rest and I sure hope they annunciate when they do.....if they know what's good for them (it's a joke you'll get when you read the tribute to her). Rest in Peace and my your soul forever be with God.
Please take a few minutes to watch the video at the end of the post. To know it was her favorite song makes it really touching to watch.
Please take a few minutes to watch the video at the end of the post. To know it was her favorite song makes it really touching to watch.
My Aunt Dottie was like a second mother to me when I was a teenager. I lived with her, my Uncle Mike and my cousin Mindy during my Junior year in high school. She's "good people." That's a term she used to describe people worth having in your life. She could be the queen of the "good people." Aunt Dottie and I both had a penchant for chocolate ice cream. I once walked about a mile through a snow storm to get her and I some chocolate ice cream. The people at the grocery store thought I was insane, but it was definitely worth it.
Aunt Dottie was good friends with my mother way back in the early 60's. They worked at an insurance agency together. It was Aunt Dottie who introduced Gloria Jean Lutes to her brother-in-law, Pat Whalen. Not too long after, maybe a year, Gloria Jean married Pat and the rest is history....so to speak. So in all reality, Aunto Dottie is truly to blame for anything I did wrong in my life. She's the one who introduced my parents. Well if she's responsible for what I did wrong, then she surely gets credit for what I have done right. She taught me a lot in the year I lived with her. She treated me like her own son, she didn't take any of my shit and she, like my parents, taught me that there's nothing in this world that I can't handle as long as I keep faith in myself and my faith in God.
Aunt Dottie also taught me that when I sing, it's really important that I annunciate. What's the point of listening to someone sing if you can't understand what they're singing about? Her oldest son Mark, my cousin, is one of my favorite musical artists of all time. When I was little, he and whatever band he was in would play at various weddings, family gatherings and such. Aunt Dottie loved to hear Mark sing. Who didn't? When I was a kid, he was a rock star to me. He WAS Elvis Presley. Aunt Dottie used to love to hear Mark play and sing "Mr. Bojangles." To this day, I can't hear that song and not think of the two of them.
Here I am a few months shy of 40 and Aunt Dottie lay in a bed out in Arizona nearing the end of her long time battle with that horrid monster we all know as cancer. I know, I seem to write a lot about cancer in my blog, but that's because it's affecting more than a few people I know.
The above design is something I created as a possible design for a tattoo for Aunt Dottie. Instead, I've decided to just get a simple white dove and a banner with her name on it. She loves the white dove because it symbolizes peace. Which as we all know, is something we could use a lot more of in this world. Please do me a favor and say a prayer for Dottie. And then say another prayer for my Uncle Mike, my cousins Mark, Shelly and Mindy and their families. They're a strong bunch and I have no idea how they've handled this for as long as they have. It's a reflection of their strength, their goodness of character and their love for one another. They're lucky to have each other.
Yesterday we got a snow storm. It was supposed to be a dusting but turned into a day long heap of heavy wet know. I think Aunt Dottie sent me the storm. Or God sent it on her behalf. All I could think about was walking through the snow to the store that day that day when I was 16 to get her and I some ice cream. So, even though I'm nursing Achilles Tendinitis in my left heel, I walked to the store at lunch, through the snow, and got chocolate ice cream for me and all of my co-workers in her honor. It was a small gesture, but one that my co-workers really appreciated, not just for the ice cream, but they appreciated my honoring her. They all said prayers for her. Thanks to my cousin Jen for calling me this morning with the news of her passing.
May God bless you all with continued strength and compassion. Now enjoy my favorite version of "Mr. Bojangles" as performed live by one of my favorite musical artists, Robbie Williams.
