Where, Oh Where...

...has the summer gone???!!!

Was it the camping trip, swimming lessons, or lacrosse camp? Engineering, basketball, or golf camps? Paddle boating on the Tidal Basin or standing in awe at architectural masterpieces depicted in Lego? Maybe it was the trip to the beach... Oh I know, it was the "semi-extreme make-over" that occurred in my home and the 8-week summer session that I taught.

Yes, this has been a very full summer. And although I'm not ready for it to end I know that it must.

Possessions do not bring riches to our lives. Experiences do.

Now I understand. My whirlwind of a summer has made me a multi-billionaire!

Until next time...

A Memoir

On July 4th my aunt, Norlishia A. Jackson, succumbed to ovarian cancer. My life and our family will never be the same.

Aunt Nor was a freelance writer. From the moment she learned of my desire to do the same, she served as a mentor and resource. She posed one question to me every time we spoke. "What cha' workin' on?" It was a gentle reminder to me that as a writer, I should always have a work in progress.

She served as an editor and contributing writer to the Delta Journal, the primary publication of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Through the years she wrote several speeches for the sorority's past presidents and other national officers. She was also instrumental in chartering the Federal City Alumnae Chapter here in Washington, DC. Her work was so profound in Delta that prominent members of the sorority, poet Nikki Giovanni and Dr. Gloria R. Scott (the first African-American to serve as president of the Girl Scouts of America and past president of Bennett College) knew her well and made special trips to speak at the service.

Aunt Nor was creative, funny, giving, loving, and a take-no-stuff sort of woman - all at the same time. She was the best story teller I've ever known. She could tell a story that would make you laugh days, months, even years later. She loved our large extended family and kept us connected through gatherings, newsletters, and a family directory that she created. She was crazy about her sisters and even crazier about her grandchildren, or should I call them her "diva-children" (She refused to be grandma so "Diva" she was).

I could go on and on and on but I won't. Instead, with a grateful and heavy heart, I'll simply say...

I miss you and love you so much Aunt Nor.