By Todd Campbell
Contributor
Hey, Patrollers! The Toddster is here with you as always. This week, we're doing something a little different and I hope you'll let me get a bit personal this time out. One of my favorite aunts passed away this week and I decided to dedicate this one just to her. I wanted to put a few happy memories out there. Her name was Emma and my childhood was a great one when she was around.
I remember all the times we would go shopping with my Mom, Emma, and my Aunt Arlene (or “Toots” as I've always known her). They either didn't buy a lot or would buy nothing at all. Just getting together was always the point of these little shopping trips.
Emma would also babysit my sister and me quite a bit. It was always on the weekends when my parents were doing something. My sister and I would always do something with my cousin, Tom. We would have fun picking on my Uncle Everett while sitting in his chair, and he would pull us out by our feet, or Emma would always have vanilla wafers and some sort of drink for us.
I was also quite the comic book collector when I was a kid. One Christmas, Emma decided to take a gift certificate and box it up inside a few boxes to make it look like she got me a very large gift. I was all excited as I started unwrapping it. As I got to the last box, I was wondering just what it could be to make me go through all this work. Getting that gift was one of the greatest things in the world to me and I've always remembered it to this day.
I would be remiss if I didn't put at least one movie memory in here. Emma and Everett usually watched my me and my sister during the weekend. There would always be a late night film on CBS and one in particular comes to mind: "The Return of Sherlock Holmes." Sherlock Homes was put on ice and revived in modern day to go up against the modern ancestor of his mortal enemy, Dr. Moriarty. It was quite good.
In her later years, Aunt Emma’s health declined and she was being taken care of in a nursing facility. Aunt Toots would be right there, always checking on her to see how she was. Toots has taken care of Emma, my mother, Uncle Dave, and Aunt Arvilla. I don't know how she was able to do all that but that just goes to show you what kind of person she is and continues to be. Heck, I talk to her every day and if I don't, I'll hear about it, trust me.
Now Emma has that great golden ticket to join Everett, my mom and dad, and all the family we've lost over the years. They're at that big movie theater in the sky getting ready to watch some movie that they loved when they were alive.
Emma, give them your ticket because it's showtime!