With Love.

You may remember that I had to miss a bit of school a few weeks ago to attend a funeral.

Well, my uncle (and godfather) painstakingly created these beautiful photo boards of her life. Nearly the whole time they were up, someone was standing by these boards and reminiscing about what a wonderful woman my godmother Joanna was.

My Aunt Joanna with my cousin and me {left} on the day she officially joined our family.

One picture in particular really made me smile.

At first, my uncle said that he found the photo and was confused. He said it took reading the inscription on the back for him to realize the story that went along with it.

My godmother Joanna was always a huge fan of Hemingway. In fact, she called her husband- a talented, creative man- "her Hemingway." At one point long before the two of them met, though, she went with a friend to Key West.

She had always wanted to go, because- in case you didn't know- Hemingway lived there, and you can tour his home.

When they went on the tour, she was giddy. They made special note to stay behind the guardrails and not disturb anything, as it was just how Hemingway had left it, and not to take photos.

They were in Hemingway's bedroom when Joanna couldn't help herself. The tour guide led the group to the next room, and my Aunt Joanna grabbed her friend by the arm to pull him back.

She shoved a camera into his hands, pushed aside the ropes, and jumped on the bed.

Hemingway's bed.

And came away with this wonderful photo.

My aunt Joanna was one of those bold, beautiful women who lived her life, and didn't let anything get in the way.

Not raising her kids on her own after a messy divorce.

Not even MS.

I hope to someday have the optimism, faith, determination, and moxie that my godmother had. Her laugh was infectious, and she was constantly finding ways to spread the love, even when things got tougher and tougher for her.

I miss her, yes, but she is finally in Heaven and without constant pain... and for that, I am happy. If you don't mind, though, toss up a little prayer for my uncle. It's hard to suddenly lose such a bright light in your life.

(I love blogging about teaching, and I have been swamped with school stuff this month, but sometimes you just have to write about what's in your heart, right?)

With love to my Auntie Joanna.