Birthdays

I love birthdays. I think they need to be celebrated no matter what age. In this chaotic world we live in we are all lucky to be here. I just took shots for Emma. It was her 5th birthday and she is the daughter of a very good friend of mine, Annie. I think Emma has now learned nott o smile for me too. The other birthday I shot was for Savannah and it is her 1st birthday. She is a precious little girl and her mother is a friend of mine also. I had a great time watching each of these little girls enjoy their parties and the people around them. There mothers went to great lengths to make it as special as it could be for them. It bring back memeories of my childhood and having birthday parties in my backyard. We did not have many places like there are today to go have parties so we did them at home but my mother made them all special. Just a note to say that we all need to make days as special as we can for ourselves as well as others. Have a blessed day.

Kathryn Saunders Stinson

Kathryn Saunders Stinson, better known as Kitt. My mother was 8 years old when her sister was born into a family with many problems. Kitt was raised by my mom because her parents were fighting many personal battles. A battle that later in life both my mother and my aunt would fight themselves. I remember both of them telling me stories of the things that they witnessed. It is amazing that either one of them could smile after what they had gone through.

There are so many memories I have of my Aunt Kitt that make me smile. I looked forward to going up to visit in Nashville because it was a house filled with LOVE. We would gather in Mexico Beach and it would become a house filled with the same love. I also remember the laughter.

My aunt was a person who would care about others before herself. She would actually take on others peoples pain as her own. She lived in her own private blackness but would make sure the people around her were surrounded with love, joy, fun, and laughter. My kids loved this woman and asked me every time they had a break from school if we could go visit Aunt Kitt. I am so glad they got a chance to know her.

My mother and my aunt are back together again. I like to think that when my aunt succumbed to her darkness, the light that shined on her was God's and my mothers. I can see her grabbing both their hands and being led to where she is happy and filled with joy. The blackness in her life and heart no more. She and mom are now able to be truly happy and eat oysters whenever they like and they can both truly enjoy the sounds of the ocean.

Kitt

It has been a while. I am in a great deal of pain as I write this because on Friday March 9, 2012, my favorite aunt, Kitt Stinson, suddenly died. She has had a long battle but she is finally home. I know my mother grabbed her and welcomed her with open arms. I had many things in common with my aunt. We had a love of the beach. It is like a second home with us both enjoyed the majesty that is Mexico Beach, Florida. I remember growing up watching my mother, father, Aunt Kitt and Uncle Paul relaxing by laying for hours in the sun while we were at the beach for vacations. I remember the canasta games and most of all the laughter that went on. It is not the same since my mother died and I know it will feel the same way for my cousins Tommy, Kat, and Neil. My uncle is devestated by her death as is her children. They are going to go through a range of emotions. Anger, frustration, and laughter will be some of them. As time passes, it will get easier and they will remember the good times the most with her.