Hands of Love

We are so pleased to have our aunt do a guest post this week about our mom Betty. However, before you dive in to her post, we thought a little background would be helpful:

“Auntie Lana” as she is affectionately known in our family, is our dad’s youngest sister and, as you will discover, was more like a sister than a sister-in-law to mom.  To us kids growing up, Auntie Lana was the ‘cool aunt’ who, as an airline stewardess (yes, that’s what the job was called back then), flew to all kinds of exotic places all over the world. Not only that, she had a beautiful singing voice and even made a record! Now in her 80s, she is still the “cool aunt” with a beautiful singing voice who continues to perform with a local musical group. And, as the most loyal reader of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Shoes blog, we consider her an honorary member of the Sisterhood.

Hands of Love

There was a Betty that existed far beyond what she would have had us recognize.  There was no pretense with her – she was Betty, always.  She was in my life for almost 70 years and never once did I hear her say a negative word about anyone.  Her heart was always in positive mode and her hands were always busy creating the best environment for everyone around her.

Betty taught small children to swim with the unselfish care she shared with all who knew her. She brought up her own five children with gracious warmth and created a home for them with welcoming hands and a loving nature that never failed to surround them.  Betty reached out her hand to me as a sister and welcomed me into her life with that warm smile and happy little giggle that was so much her signature.   She comforted me without question when I arrived on her doorstep unannounced one day having fled from a relationship that had become unmanageable – she never chided, nor scolded me for anything – she was always there, understanding, helping and most of all loving.

When I was a young teenager I visited Edmonton, and Betty  and I went out for a walk one day pushing her eldest daughter, Shauna,  in a baby carriage.  On the opposite side of the street, a young man whistled at us and neither one of us ever forgot that instant when we looked at one another raised our heads and walked on with more pride and confidence. Although, we had many a laugh at the event, over the years when we got together for lunch or tea or just a phone chat, it was a nice connective memory for us.  This connection and countless others that occurred over the years formed a bond for us that lasted a lifetime.  We were truly sisters in every sense of the word. Although I miss her very much, I can still hear her voice and see her tender smile and loving eyes.

There truly are some people in our lives who make a great impact and who will never be forgotten, but will always be missed – that is Betty.

With love,

Alannah

We plan to publish a new post every Monday, so stayed tuned for our next one entitled “I Married a Vegan”