I remember going with daddy, Joe W Vaughn, to visit aunt Suzie when I was a little girl.

My best memories of her is of her philodendron vine in her kitchen window, well it started from a pot that sat in her kitchen window. The vine its self went up the wall by the window and around the kitchen walls just under the ceiling. It was always so healthy and green, never a speck of dust on it. I can't imagine her on a chair cleaning it but her bachelor son, Ertle, or Ert as everyone called him, was probably the one to clean it for her. He was as house proud as she was.

My other treasured memory is of the two little 'pillow' dolls she kept on her bed "which was always made' with a chenille spread. How I wanted a bed spread like that.
The two little dolls were so wonderful. This was before I ever saw or heard of a Barbi doll. they were a bit shorter than Barbi and not nearly as well made but to me they were golden.
From their waste down they were enclosed in a pillow that was covered in pleated and puckered thin pieces of foam rubber. The little pieces reminded me of the petals of a flower with the little dolls 'bloomin' out of the center.
With them sittin on the bed they looked like the pillows were the skirts of their dresses.

How oh, how I wanted a pillow doll like the ones aunt Suzie had.

I'll never forget she'd let me hold one of the for a while when I'd visit with daddy. Her kindness to me back then meant so much. Grown ups never think about what something so seemingly small can be such a huge thing for a child.

The way she treated me as a little girl has left me with an awareness of a child's feelings and importance.

Maybe not a lot of memories of this tiny little lady, my aunt Suzie, but the ones I have are golden.

Thank you, Aunt Suzie, for sharing your pillow dolls with me.