Monday, August 5, 2019

In memory of my fabulous Aunt Shelly


Time and time again we are all reminded about how important it is to tell those we love and who've been influential in lives just how much they mean to us because life is too short. This couldn't be more true. This past Friday, August 2, 2019 we lost the more beautiful soul as my Aunt Shelly was called home. Six years ago I partook in SoulPancake's experiment in gratitude by writing and sharing the those sentiments with someone who had been really influential in my life - my aunt. Below are the words I had the privilege of being able to share with my aunt at the time so she would know just how special she was to all of us. While I don't know a world without her and miss her already, I know she's up in heaven singing with the angels, cooking up a storm, and amplifying the love. Rest in peace Aunt Shelly. Thank you for all of your love and for living your life authentically and on your terms. Your life and legacy is a gift to us all.


Often when asked to write about someone who has influenced me, I write about my mother or speak about my parents’ impact on who I am. However, when I think about those individuals who have truly shaped the person I am today, I have to also think about my mom’s sister, my Aunt Shelly. My aunt is one of the most amazing, generous, strong people I know. What makes her amazing has nothing to do with a resume list of accomplishments. What makes Aunt Shelly amazing is her heart. She is ridiculously generous in every aspect of her life. 

 Growing up as a Foreign Service kid meant that after every country I lived in a sibling left to attend boarding high school in the States. So while I left the States at six years old, I returned to the States at 13 years old and was the third Anyaso sibling to do so. My aunt served as each of our guardians and actually she was more than a "guardian", she was our second mother. She did the move ins, move outs, took us on weekends, took us during every major school break, brought me to the hospital for my hernia surgery when I was 15 years old, and came to our schools anytime the school called, which was a lot for my older brother who kept making poor decisions while at boarding school. My favorite memories from high school have to do with the time I spent with aunt and the random, fun stuff we did. I also think about how my aunt, a single mother not only took care of her sister’s three children, but also served as the caretaker for my grandfather who was bedridden due to two strokes and a cousin who was bedridden due to Multiple Sclerosis. Aunt Shelly also took care of my grandmother before she passed away, took in my older cousin when they decided to move from New York to Baltimore and for a few weeks every summer she also had my younger brother who was back in the States for summer vacation. There was one summer when there were nine of us living in a very modest home and had the best time together.  

 Even now as my aunt waits on the organ donor list for a kidney, her spirits are high, love overflowing, and she is still the best cook around. I don’t think any of us have told her thank you enough or told her just how much she has influenced who we are. Often people are asked "what does success look like". For me, success looks like my Aunt Shelly – an amazing, generous, and kind woman who loves her family and who makes the lives of everyone around her better - and I truly hope that I can be half the woman that she is.



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