a house full of painted memories

I went to visit my great aunt this past Sunday.

A few years ago I discovered a kindred spirit in my grandfather's twin sister, Dorothy (aka Dotte). Her and I instantly connected, and I knew there was something special about this lady who has fire in her aging eyes, and always a smile on her face (mischievous as it may be). She's 60 years older than me. I found second and third cousins through our meeting. She's opened up a new world to me. But let me get to the good part.

I visited her world, her home, on Sunday. And much to my surprise (or no surprise at all), I stepped into an art gallery-- a museum of sorts.

I didn't ever see any walls in this home. All I saw were pictures. in every nook and cranny of this home. pictures painted on porcelain plates. photographs in frames. paintings of African safaris, raging rapids, landmarks and monuments from 48 states, beautiful gardens, delicate flowers and exotic birds... ALL that she has painted herself (there has got to be at least 100 plates if not more) from her own personal memories.

I found a map taped to the wall behind her bedroom door with a hundred pushpins dotting the continents--ALL places she's visited personally.


My Great Aunt Dotte is a world traveler. She has seen, heard, and done it all--literally. She has lived life like I hope to live it myself. She is an artist. A story-teller. She is a giver and a smile-maker. She draws you into her world. She is a thinker and wonderer. She takes no moment for granted. She will grab your hand as you walk with her, stare you in the eyes, and make profound, yet simple, remarks about life and people... and you know she can prove it by experience.

Dotte is a walking time capsule, exploding to life as you open her up, story by story, plate by plate, photo by photo, trinket by trinket. Each one uniquely tied to a memory of some adventure she'd been on, or some person she knew, or some wonderful moment she made.

She was a tourguide at the Smithsonian in DC. She's twice a widow. Her husband revolutionized family practice medicine. She even knows John Glenn. You know... the ASTRONAUT. I'm not kidding. She went to college with the guy. She was roommates with his sister!

I feel privileged to know this beautiful woman. Not because she knows someone famous or had some glamorous job... but because she lived a life that was ALIVE.

Cancer has just recently started to try and take her. But I know her better. She's too stubborn, too full of life, too wild and wonderful to be beaten down.

And what have I gained from this? a reflection of 60 years into my future. And I sure hope I live it just as well.