It’s been an interesting few months since my last post. I’ll try to catch you up over the next few posts.

Just before Labor Day I lost two of my beloved aunts, Aunt Daisy and Aunt Shirley. Both were my mother’s sisters. They passed away within two weeks of each other and the last was just one week ahead of our annual Austin Family Reunion. So, that weekend we had a tremendous amount of mixed emotions – the sadness of saying goodbye to a loved one and the joy of reminiscing with our Texas-sized family. What a blessing it was to able to support each other in sorrow and laugh for hours on end about all the crazy, goofy things we had done over the years while creating more memorable moments for our kids. My beloved aunts would have loved being there. It’s clear their beautiful spirits live on through their children and grandchildren.

One major disappointment for me – I had intended to talk to both of my aunts about my story and ask them about Mother’s childhood from their perspective. I was hoping to offset a lot of bad memories with stories of Mother’s youth that might have helped me understand her more. Another life lesson learned – don’t wait. Life is astonishingly short in the grand scheme and we never know how much more time any of us have.

If you’ve been putting off a conversation to help you heal and forgive for another day, don’t wait. That chance may never come along again.