Notice everything...

My Aunt Emma was a woman of few words.  If you were lucky enough to her you just laughed.  “Woman of few words” is a real understatement. My Mother, Emma’s younger sister, would go to visit her, and mom would say, “I have a question for Emma, I will be gone for a few hours.”  Truly, Mom would ask Emma the one question, and they would sit and say very little for hours, and only then, if Mom was lucky, Emma would say a few words meant as an answer to the question.  

Sometimes Emma could be drawn into saying more, but most often, she was done talking.

As those of us who knew her are aware,..Emma spoke very little.  Seeing her smile, well, that was a rare thing indeed…. In 42 years I think I saw her smile 4 times.  That was just her way.

The last time we saw Emma, my Mother and I, was in the year before she died.  We went to her son’s house, where she was living at the time.  We sat and talked,..Emma mostly listened, and then one of her great grandchildren came into the room.  The child announced, “Grandma smiled yesterday.  I wrote it on the calendar.”  We turned to Emma, and there it was! A smile! What a joy. What a lovely memory.