"Memories Of A Loving Soul"

This is a testament to my late Great Aunt Jenny, who died four years ago c. 87 years, she never gave her true age to anyone.  My Aunt Jen was a well-known Puppeteer in her area of New Jersey, making her own puppets and organizing her shows by herself.  She lived her whole life alone, quite happily, devoted to puppets and marionettes, and gave her gift to everyone.  Going to nursing homes, hospitals, childrens' gatherings, schools, just everywhere people were, she was there with her incredible puppets, making everyone laugh for an hour of their lives.

Her house was always a mess.  Crazy, mixed up, things everywhere, hanging from pictures, doorknobs, bits of cloth, buttons, weird things I laughed at as a child, she kept bags of candies and cookies in her stove and when we'd visit she'd pile them on us, she never bothered to cook of course.  I have no idea how she ate.  She had first-edition books that I begged her for, I loved the books.  Old porcelan, lace, china, treasures from around the world where she traveled, she never stayed still more than a second.  She was educated, clever, knew things about the world from first-hand experiences, and truly loved people.  Her own neice, my father's sister Nan, is a clean freak, a fanatic for neatness and order.  When Nan and I would visit Jenny, poor neat Nan would get flustered and jittery, uncomfortable around disorder.  But she loved her aunt Jen, and I loved them both.   

I remember from my childhood, we'd gather at my grandparents home, us kids sitting on the floor in a circle, while Aunt Jenny would regale us with these amazing puppets, putting on her show with music and a black light, they looked so real to me.  One of them always scared me silly - the skeleton man "Mr. Bones" I used to cry and run away when I'd see him LOL.  My Dad would laughingly run after me, scoop me up and sit me on his lap while we'd watch his mother's sister put on these wonderful shows.  I used to always say under my breath "Please don't let that skeleton get near me" and what's so oddly wonderful is that my sister-in-law Penny (rhymes with Jenny!) took up the business after Aunt Jen died, to this day continuing the thread of a family tradition.  Penny took the puppets to new heights, making them into detailed characters and her home-run business thrives.  She even has a website if you want to get an idea of the size of these puppets FUN ON A STRING PUPPETS & MARIONETTES but the thought is, I can still see that "Mr. Bones" even in the picture - it gives me a shiver!  This poem is very simple because she was, so here's what I wanted to tell her:

                         My dear Great Aunt Jen:

Your talent and your skillful gift

gave all who saw it such a lift !

Your time was spent by fully living,

always happy, always giving.

     You loved to show us every book,

     we'd dust it off and take a look -

     Sometimes we'd find some older treasures,

     how you loved your simple pleasures.

It made me smile to see that clutter,

and poor Aunt Nan would always shudder !

All those trinkets, buttons, bows,

went into making puppet shows.

     Look upon us from your home

     and give a listen to this poem -

    I'm grateful that we've had these years

     to share the laughter and the tears. 

So many people you did touch,

your family loves you very much -

a kinder soul did not exist,

and Dear Aunt Jen, you will be missed.

     csr