When this word came into my focus, I immediately thought
of a very precious woman who to this day has incredibly impacted the life of my
family. Her name was Letha Benschoff,
“Aunt Esa”.
Born in the early 1900’s Letha was a wise woman.
As a child Letha ran a high fever over a long period of
time which resulted in the loss of sight in one eye. Then over her lifetime glaucoma took the
sight out of her “good eye”. She died
blind.
At the age 16 she was raped. The little boy was taken away from her. He was “placed” in the Texas Children’s home
and almost immediately adopted. As it turned
out Letha would not have any other biological children. Her family
simply said forget about the boy, “He’s
fine”. After Aunt Esa died I
discovered a letter and a white baby dressing gown she carried in a small gold
box all those years.
Her home smelled like moth balls, coffee and fresh dirt.
Aunt Esa taught us:
- A weed is something
that doesn’t belong.
- It’s important to talk
to plants when you plant them.
- Food is simply what
you eat ‘cause you’re hungry.
She said:
·
Little guys need beach walks, anytime they
want
·
Afternoons are for putting puzzles together, or
playing cards
·
Rereading a book to a child is most important.
Her favorite sayings included:
- “Uwe” when she was
excited
- And , “Just back
your ears and do it!”, when things got tough.
Aunt Esa pondered life. She thought long and hard, she mentally weighed what really mattered. Her life course was purposeful and she impacted lots of us.
She always smiled. She was not the focal point, others were. She will be remembered for generations to
come.
In this day of smart phones, instant messaging, internet,
and all the emergencies of the day we
simply need to slow down and ponder our activities.
Take some time this week and spend it with a child, take
a walk, or simply stop and smell the flowers.
You know, I wish
you’d known my Aunt Esa too!
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