Lucy Mae

In the early morning hours… Around 3am when the moon was full and the storm clouds opened up with the gift of rain… My aunt Lucy took leave of this plane of existence.

As sad as I am, as much as I will miss her and mourn her passing, I know she is finally free from the cage of suffering that was once her strong, vital and beautiful physical self. I know that she was tired.

Growing up in Louisiana, in 1930's, one of the surviving female children in a brood of 10… She became a caretaker early on in life. She took care of her brothers, helped her mother until she passed, and participated in all the domestic activities put upon young women at that time. But hers was a special lot, because she was also a young black woman. Fair skinned and fair tempered.. Mostly… Aunt Lucy made a life of taking care of people. It became her calling and she was extraordinary at it.

Her youngest brother, my father, did not make her days easy. Daddy was always getting into trouble and Lucy Mae was always getting him out of it. Although sometimes there was just no hope. Because Daddy was the youngest and Lucy cared for him the longest, their bond was tight, and remains so.

Lucy's childhood was rudely interrupted by marriage at the age of 14. She married Howard, a much older man and began her life as a wife and mother. Moved from Louisiana to California, right around the corner from her little brother, she lived, loved, laughed and went to church every Sunday.

Though I miss her terribly… I know that she is finally at peace.

Resting after raising five children…
-Working two and three jobs at a time to make ends meet
One of my favorite memories of being with her and my cousins was going with them on Friday and Saturday nights to help clean the corporate building (one of her jobs). I was always so excited when she would let me tag along with them, because it meant I could stay up late and be with my cousins. We would pile into her van and head out to the building around 7:30 at night. After arriving, she would give each of us a job to do: dusting, trash duty, bathrooms, mirrors floors. We were armed with cleaning gear and gloves and headed to our respective duties.

Being kids, of course this was fun. We may have a hard time cleaning our own rooms, but cleaning offices was different. Once we were finished, we would run around the building playing “Office”. Pretending we worked at this company.. talking on the phone to each other, giving orders. Aunt Lucy would finally tire of the ruckus and round us up (grabbing ears if she had to) for home by 11:30. We would be exhausted and smelling of pine sol and Windex, from having so much fun.



She is resting after sixty some years of marriage… to one man.
-Does that even happen anymore? No one stays married to the same person that long these days. And I know for a fact this is was not easy. My uncle was and is a strong willed, 6ft 4 man who ruled his roost. Or at least that is what he thought. As handsome and mean as my uncle was, my beautiful aunt, petite next to him, went toe to toe when she had to. Aunt Lucy had a wicked smile. Soft and sweet. Gentle as a little butterfly. Then suddenly it would change..the smile would still be there but gentleness would be all but gone.

Now she is free…
No worry, no pain, no need to take care of everybody else.

Well, maybe that is not true. Because the thought that helps me keep it all together, is knowing that she is now one of our guardian angels. Still taking care of all of us…