Letter #73 - Aunt Pam

I've mentioned that I'm not always the best granddaugher.  I'm also not always the best niece.  My aunts on my mum's side of the family got my grandma's writing gene.  They send cards at least monthly (often times more frequently than that) they send little gifts with each holiday, they drop things off for me that they were getting rid of and thought I may want, or things they just happened to see out somewhere that they picked up... they really are great at keeping in touch and letting me know how much they love me and that they think of me often.  I am not good at returning the favour.  I almost always get a thank you note in the mail for gifts or unexpected hand me downs, but beyond that I'm not usually good at just popping a note in the mail to say hi.  Today I decided to work on that.  So Aunt Pam gets letter #73.

Aunt Pam is sister #2 of 5 in my mum's family.  She loves dogs and used to take my cousin and I shopping all the time.  She is an incredible bargain shopper and would get us the best deals on really great clothes, jewelry and makeup.  She would always be giving us these goody bags of freebies she would get places, and shared her fine jewelry collection with us.  Her husband passed away a few years ago and life changed dramatically.  As a result, I've been even worse at keeping in touch with her, something I feel badly about but haven't really known how to remedy very well.

I sent her a note today pretty much just to say hi.  I included some photos of our kitties as she often sends us treats for them, and a photo of my husband and I from our honeymoon, since she hasn't gotten to see any of those photos yet.  I really hope the letter catches her on a good day, and brings a smile to her face to know I've been thinking about her.  The anniversary of my Uncle's death is coming up soon, so I know that's weighing on her.  It has been extremely difficult on her coming to terms with losing him (understandably so!)

Letter #24 - Colette

When I married my husband, I gained a sister-in-law.  She has been married to Austin's brother for several years and is a very nice girl, but I barely know her.  She's quiet and we mostly only see each other at larger family gatherings, so our typical conversations are short and fairly surface.

Over the years I have felt like we should be closer... especially now as we're family and all, but for all the excuses I haven't put much effort in on my part.  Today I tried to take a step forward, and sent her a letter.  It's short, not a whole lot to it, but I wished her a good week and let her know how glad I was to see her at all of the holiday get togethers.

We have very different personalities, so who knows how our relationship will develop, but I feel good about getting over some of my own insecurities enough to at least start making the effort.  Time will tell.