"AUNT JOSEY"
"Once upon a time", long ago when milk was
delivered in bottles, and cars had fins. I used to spend my
summers with my Aunt Josey. My "Aunt" or I should say my Grand Aunt
Josey, 'cause she was my Grandma's sister, had a little house far out in
the country. She was a sweet Soul made of equal parts of
kindness, and patients..
She was the one that taught me that
there's good in everyone no matter how they may seem on the outside. She
also said that all the animals have souls,
and go to heaven. No matter what they say in church.
I loved my Aunt Josey.
I
remember one time we were up late. After reading my palm we sat listening to old 1930's records on her Victrola. I loved the old time music, and I loved being with Aunt Josey.
About that palm reading she read mine a lot. She gently held my
hand closely examining my various "life lines." It would be as if she
were reading some strange book that told of all my life had in store.
She'd look at my palm, then look at me, look at
my palm again, and take a breath. All as if to say,.."You have a serious life on the way!" Fortunately I was a child innocent, and full of grace.
My nasty cynical side still slept. So all I did was giggle as Aunties fingers traced the lines of my life to
come.
She could read tea leaves too.
She came from an era where the acknowledgement of other realities, other
realms of being were taken for granted. This decades before
Oprah.
But to the story. As I said it was very late.
After
we'd put the records away my Aunt Josey took me by the hand,
and led me through the kitchen, and out to the backyard.
The night was
warm, and sweet smelling.
There was a gentle breeze , and a sky full of
stars! Fireflies bobbed, and blinked above the grass.
There
was a stillness, a quiet that covered everything that night. Like
snow,..summer snow. Aunt Josey, and I sat on the back porch, and enjoyed
that magical night,..so many years ago.
After a time she looked down at
me, and said, "Sidney,..everyone in the world is asleep except for you,
and me."
I looked up at her, she smiled. "Yes", she said, "Their
all asleep."
"We're the only ones in the whole wide world looking at
the stars, feeling the wind or talking to each other." "All of the
animals, all the birds, all the fish underneath the sea, and all the
people even your Mommy, and Daddy are asleep, and dreaming now.
Holding
me close, and looking up at the stars Aunt Josey said, "We're the last
ones, the last ones in the whole wide world,..that are still awake."
The Moon, the bright orange summer Moon was large in the sky.
"You see" ..."See." "The Moon has come close to kiss
the world good night."
"The whole sleeping world." "It's come to kiss us
good night too."
The Moon, the smiling "Man in the moon" filled
our sky, and told us it was time to rest, time to sleep. Aunt Josey
picked me up, and took me to my room. She tucked me into bed, and
helped me say my prayers. She kissed me good night, and went off to
here own room.
In a little while, in a very little while both she, and I joined the Sleeping, Dreaming World.
Stay Tuned.
