My mom's sister, Auntie Alison, came to visit us this past weekend from Portland.  She has always been special to me.  She was a teenager when I was born and she has always been pretty, funny and a good friend.  It helps that she is mommy to my cousins Nate and Lizzy, both of whom I was obsessed with growing up because they were (and are) so darn cute.  She is a trailblazer in a more quiet and creative way than my mom and I.  She has been through a lot in this life of hers and some of it is too terrible to even contemplate.  She knows what it means to wake up with one life and then be handed a new, terrible and scary life that nobody in the world would trade with you.  And yet, she is sweet, loving and giving always.  I just wanted to say how much I appreciate her wisdom.  Her advice about how to cope, how to be gentle with myself and how to eventually forgive the people that we love.  She loved Maxie.  She was the first person that he really smiled at for a long period, gazing into her eyes and smiling bigger and bigger.  She sat with me and talked about about coping with PTSD, about people not being as loving and kind as they could be and in some cases being downright mean.  She talked to me about making the decision to live again without fear (as much as possible).  And, she talked to me about Max.  How cute and sweet and wonderful he was.  Auntie Alison is supportive and loving and curious.  She even called Moriah the Medium and had a reading (which, by the way, sounds like it was phenomenal) even though she considered herself to be kind of a skeptic.  Anyway, I was grateful to spend some time with her this weekend, even though it wasn't enough.  I look forward to seeing her again in Arizona in April!  I love you so much Al!  Thank you for being here for all of us.