One of my Aunts passed away recently. I have been meaning to write a post to try and say a little something about her that will convey what an amazing person she was for me growing up but also what she meant to me in my adult years.

Virginia Sloan is one of four siblings to my Mother. To be exact, my Mother being the oldest, Virginia was second. I am not trying to write her biography, there are better writers in my family who will do her a far better justice in that regard. What I do want to say is that, I like to think, my desire and love of traveling, came from my fascination with Aunt Gin and her Husband Uncle Brian. They had the opportunity to live in some amazing places but I especially remember their time in Kaiserslautern, Germany. I never had the opportunity to travel there but the stories they told of their time there always enthralled me. I still have a souvenier stein they gave me.

Geography is a funny thing with my family. Over my lifetime I have lived in a few different places and many of my extended family have as well. Those places rarely seem to be very close to one another. While social media helps with that to an extent, it’s never quite the same as visiting in person. Circumstances allowed for that during a tough time in my life when I was going through a divorce and my Aunt Gin lived fairly close that she would have me and my Daughter over for visits to her condo almost once a month. Gin loved kids. Her own and pretty much anyone else’s, and that included my Daughter. The affection, attentiveness, and plans she would have to make sure my Daughter was loved and visits would be memorable. But it was the quiet evenings when my Daughter was asleep, that Gin would sit with me watching the boats on the waterway and just be a comfort and a good listener while I tried to deal with the loss, sadness, and anger that I was going through. I will always be grateful for that time with her, it still means the world to me.

I love you Gin and I will miss talking with you.