I have so many good memories of my Aunt Susie. Some of my favorite ones took place at my childhood neighborhood pool. There were many summers when Susie would bring Liz and Latting over to our neighborhood pool, and my mom, brothers and I would meet them there. We’d spend entire days there, for five or six days in a row sometimes. When I look back at those days, I still think of them as being so carefree.I’m willing to bet that my mom and Susie probably felt otherwise, having to watch over five children who inevitably ended up fighting almost every day. But I will always look back on those summers fondly. I was never that great of a swimmer, but Susie made me feel like I was, swimming in the deep end of the pool with me and calling me Ariel (The Little Mermaid), even though I would not put my head under water without goggles and a noseplug.Susie was kind, strong, funny, sassy, and sweet. I miss her. But at the same time, I am thankful that her last few years of suffering have come to an end and that she is in a better, peaceful place. A place where she can walk, dance, run, and even swim again.
