Meet my shero. My aunt Colleen Futko. (nee Graham)
She was a feisty woman who loved her family. She hated driving the 401(for you Americans, that is the Highway that runs from Windsor—Detroit area to Toronto), so she had to wait for her husband to drive her home or take the train.
She was spunky and had a raspy voice. She worked for a law firm as a secretary, but she was more than that; I can remember her talking about the different things she did, and the law firm was like a family to her.
She married one of my dad’s best friends.
After they got married, she and her husband moved to Burlington, ON, which is about 3-3.5 hours away from the Graham homestead.
She LOVED to shop! She loved shoes, she loved her kids and husband, and she built a great life for herself and her family.
She loved romance novels and got me addicted to them when I went up there to babysit for them for a summer.
She would come home after making dinner to have a glass of wine or a rye and coke and relax, knit, or read a book until late in the night. She was a night owl.
She loved to have fun, but she also very much liked that everything had its place and was detail-oriented. She was a daddy’s girl.
I loved spending time with her, and I loved it when she would come home on holidays or we would drive up there in the fall to see the colours change in the trees.
Her kids were her everything.
She had such strength and wisdom, but she never let on that she did.
I swear to God that women should have had a cape.
She made friendships that lasted a lifetime.
When she got cancer, I can remember thinking oh shit, not another one dying, and she has no idea how I felt and what she meant to me. So, I wrote her a letter and mailed it, and I prayed she had read it. One day, we arrived there, and she had a housecoat on and inside
the housecoat was the letter. She refused to let anyone else read it, but I was told she read it several times. I never talked to her about it; I guess I was too chicken.
But I knew she knew just how much she meant to me, which was what mattered.
My aunt Colleen’s gifts to me were:
· Strength & courage
· Reading and book boyfriends
· Compassion
· Family & Friends that were for life.
· Love of family
· The courage to go after my dreams
· Never give up
· She was my Thelma
· To live life and enjoy the little things
· Take time for you
· Find joy in the little things
· The proper shoes for every occasion matter
What I miss most about Colleen is just her presence. When she was in the room, she commanded it. She would laugh so loud for a tiny person. There were times she would struggle, but she would be real about it. She would tell you how she was feeling. She would call my dad at least once a week and talk about what the kids were up to and ask him for advice. What you see is what you get with Aunt Colleen.
I would encourage you this holiday season to be joyful in all that you do and find the perfect pair of shoes, just like Colleen would.
Hers would probably be red! Lol.
Do what makes you happy and give a little cheer to those around you.
Find that aunt you adore and connect with. Send her a message to let her know you are thinking about her.
It could be the spark you need this Holiday season.
Remember, if you are feeling blue this holiday season, it’s okay not to be okay. Feel what you're feeling for a little bit. Think about the good times and maybe how you could help someone else.
What could you do for someone who doesn’t cost much but would mean the world to someone else?
When we help someone else, we forget about our own problems, and it really does make us feel better.
Who are you reaching out to today? Share with us a story about your favourite aunt and any holiday tradition you had with her.
With love and gratitude,
Dorothy
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