Cousin Lynette

What a truly wonderful weekend!! My cousin Lynette had been on a road trip from her home in Springfield, MO to Iowa where her sister resides.  She stopped here and there spreading cheer every where she went including a quick overnight visit with me in my Magical Cottage.  Her trip was initiated to help her fight a bout of depression she has been struggling with for the past couple of years.  The trip must have done her a world of good or she is an excellent actress because she looked wonderful.

I was raised in a traditional American family where the father worked 5 or 6, 8 to 12 hour days a week to feed and clothe his children while the mother stayed home to cook, clean and care for their children.  My father and Lynette's father were handsome curly haired brothers.  Other than that they were nothing alike.  Lynette's father was a womanizer who seemed to be attracted only to bad women.  His five children bear the emotional scars left from a childhood filled with abuse.

Of the five children, Lynette was always my favorite; possibly because she was only one year younger than me but also because she was an adventurous tomboy with a vivid and creative imagination much like my twin sister and myself.  It has been over 40 yeas since we were childhood playmates spending summers together while visiting our great aunt and grandparents.  She was a lovely child with dark curls, bright blue eyes, freckles and a dazzling smile who grew into a gorgeous American beauty.  I always thought with her beauty and infectious smile she could succeed at anything she tried her hand at.  Yet she never ventured out much in the world of business, probably because she had too many demons from her childhood keeping her self esteem low.  Not to say she has not been successful because that isn't the case at all.  She found her niche in the service of her savior, Jesus Christ doing mission work.

She reminds me of pictures I have seen of the glamorous actress Audrey Hepburn who gave up her acting career to do mission work caring for children in Africa.  At 60 my cousin is still beautiful even though she does not dye her hair to cover the few white hairs sprinkled throughout her still beautiful dark curls, nor does she wear makeup to camouflage the light lines on her forehead and around her eyes.

This week she was not the missionary.  This week she was a loving sister who renewed her relationship with her siblings who she rarely sees; a friend visiting old high school buddies she has not seen in years, and a cousin laughing and reliving the fun adventures of childhood on the family farm.  I am so thankful she found the time to drive 50 or more miles out of her way to spend a few precious hours with me.