I know when I was younger, the things you did for me might not
seem like they did much, but they did. You have helped
shape me into the woman I am today, the time I was able to spend with you helped me grow and
understand things about myself that I wasn't being taught 
otherwise. I didn't have anyone else in my family to teach me 
things that women experience in their lives other than my mom.
But since she was always working so hard you helped to show
me these things and showed me that there is no reason to be ashamed of being yourself.

 

There are things that I don't remember from my childhood but
some of the things I do remember were with you. I remember
when it was my 10th birthday you took me on a shopping spree
so that I could get presents for my birthday. You let me get 
whatever I wanted: socks, nail polish, hair clips, clothes, and more.
Doing this with you showed me that I had so many more people
who cared about me than I thought. It was honestly the first
time I had done that so it made me feel special and important. 

 

And I remember going up to Blackwater Falls the last time and
listening to music with you in the car and you said “You are my 
niece”  because I was jamming to Michael Jackson and Pink Floyd. I remember we were in your red stick shift car and we had so much fun driving up there. It made me so happy that I was able to have that time with you as a kid since you are the only aunt who has been present in my life the entire time.

 

As I've started to grow up and realized more things about our family that I didn’t know until now, I see how strong you have
been your entire life. You always make sure that I am heard and
you always speak up for me when I don't feel comfortable
enough to. I hope you know this just as much as I do, but Papa
was so lucky to have you as his daughter.