Throwing it Back

This is my throwback Thursday.

 

This is a picture of my Aunt Melinda and myself when I was just a little child.  I'm thinking I was probably about 2 here.  This picture makes me smile more than you know.  My Aunt died of lung cancer when I was 21 and she (I believe) was the young age of 44.  This really hits home to me now because at the time I felt like 44 was so far away from 21.  Well, HELLO, my husband is 42! We loved her so much.  She lived next door to me my whole life and she was the "fun" Aunt! 

I can still remember the night she died as if it were yesterday.  Darin and I were going to school at Sam Houston and we all knew she had cancer and was told she only had a few months to live.  Then it got down to weeks.  Her final days we were off at school while everyone else was back at home telling her their goodbyes.  Darin had a huge final that he had to take one night and then we were going to haul butt home to see her.  I'll never forget it.  We took all these country back roads thinking it would be the quickest and he ended up getting pulled over.  We had driven in silence up until the cop started talking to us anyways so the emotion was already built up.  So when he asked us why we were speeding and Darin told him, the cop kind of laughed and said that we could've come up with a better excuse than that.  I thought Darin was going to jump out of that car and beat that cop up right there!! We really told the truth, but the cop had no idea.  He thought we were just some trouble kids I'm sure driving late at night speeding to get somewhere.  Darin started crying to the cop (whoa, Darin never cries and still doesn't to this day!) but the "tough" cop didn't want to hear it.  He told Darin to call the judge and take it up with him.  So we left and drove in silence again, until we reached the hospital. 

We got there around midnight.  My cousin Whitney, my other Aunt Gwyn and one of my great Aunts were in the room with my Aunt Melinda. My Aunt Gwyn said that Melinda was waiting for us.  We walked over to her and we both just started talking to her.  Of course she couldn't talk back.  But we knew that she knew we were there.  It was such a special moment for us.  It gives me chills right now telling you about it.  Watching her struggle for her breath that night and knowing that she was getting close to leaving us, hurt so bad.  I'll never forget the pain I felt for her.  We kissed her, loved on her and said our goodbyes and we left.  Darin and I got about 3 miles down the road and my Aunt Gwyn called me, Melinda had passed.  She waited.  She waited for Darin and I.  Again, we rode in silence.  I'm not sure if Darin remembers that night the way that I remember it, but it's a night that I will always remember that I shared with him. 

I miss her and certain things remind me of her all the time. 

 She has 3 grandsons and 1 more on the way.  I know she's proud.