At the age of four my parents decided it was time to move from Idaho Falls to Calgary Alberta. I was too young for school and old enough to travel. Dad and I drove to Calgary in the family station wagon. Bits and pieces of this journey flash in and out of my mind. I am laying across the front seat of the car my head on dad's lap. When my eyes are open I see dad's hand on the steering wheel. Feeling safe and secure I close my eyes and sleep. We arrive at the home of people dad knows and spend the night. Sometime later we arrive in Calgary at the home of my Aunt Wyora. Dad would leave me here while he returned to get the rest of the family. I don't remember the length of time but I do remember falling in love with Aunt Wyora.
I may have thought the journey would be fun when I was back in Idaho but once away from home and the familiar safety of my parents I'm sure I felt anxious. Aunt Wyora created a sense of security for me. I remember following her around long a lost puppy. Where ever she was, I was there. Sitting at the kitchen table while she prepared the meals, sitting in the living room while she dusted the piano, sitting on the laundry room floor while she folded the laundry.
At some point my family arrived in Calgary and we all lived in the same house. A few years later Aunt Wyora passed away. Cancer took the lady I loved. This was my first experience with death. I sat in the pew of the church with my siblings. While I was an emotional wreck they were completely unaffected. At my young age I could not understand why I was so overwhelmed with sorrow and they seemed to feel nothing at all. Now when I look back I see that because I was with her and because she took care of me a bond was created that did not exist for my brothers and sister.
Fast forward to my teenage years. In my dreams Aunt Wyora visited me. We walked and talked in her garden and as we did she advised me on healthy eating habits and taking care of my body. While I had spent a few young years with her I was now a teenager having life like experiences in my dreams. I took her advise literally, ate healthy, exercised and stayed away from the evil temptations of alcohol, drugs and smoking.
Recently, in my nutrition class I learned that the treatment of our bodies in our teenage years determines the health of our bodies in the adult years. I am grateful for Aunt Wyora, for coming to me from her post mortal existence and for the faith to believe in her wisdom.
