Dear Aunts,
You changed my life. Without even knowing it, you changed my entire life. You didn’t give me any pearls of wisdom or any great fortune. You didn’t tell me where to go to college or who to be. Nor did you tell me what to believe.
You just let me be myself, encouraging all the good you could see without focusing on any of the bad. It’s not that you didn’t see any bad. I’m sure you have stories of selfishness or pride or entitlement that you could tell the world. But you chose to love me, take an interest in who I am, and let me be.
You read my stories, listened to my dreams for the future, and never stopped encouraging my creativity. We ate meals together, had drinks when I grew up, and played endless games of Yahtzee! when I was a little kid. It’s an understatement to say that you had a huge impact on my writing and my ability to express myself.
The worst part about this post is that I don’t have any photos of any of you. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe I was so busy making wonderful memories with you that I just didn’t have time to think about capturing the moment. Whatever the reason, the memories I have of you will forever live in my heart and influence the way I see the world.
There are a lot of people I owe thanks to for my writing. Not the least of which is my mother. But I wanted to take a moment to thank you, specifically, for all you’ve done for me over the past 30 years. Aunts are an underrated influence and an invaluable friend in life. There’s no “National Aunt Day!”, but there should be. You deserve for there to be.
So, thank you. Thank you for all the times you read my work and encouraged me to keep writing and following my dreams. Thank you for all the letters and phone calls and conversations. For all the envelopes of “fun money” you’ve sent over the years, I am forever grateful. One of you even gave me your old typewriter and it changed my life. Without you there would be no Child of Shadows. Without you I don’t know that I would’ve had the courage to release my writing out into the world.
I love you all. Thanks for loving me back. I know it was a choice and not an obligation. Your love means the world to me and I hope you know how amazing I think you are.
Ellen
Ellen ES Ceely 
Leave a comment