Auntie

My Auntie Sharon is my very good friend. She is 20 years older than me, but sometimes it seems like no years at all.

We got divorced the same year and spent a lot of time together. We got to know each other really well - a lot better than when I was little and we used to go to her house to visit and I played Barbies or Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots with my cousins. Once she yelled at us because we were running around and she called us "wild animals." And once I watched her scoop newborn guppies out of the tank as she tried desperately to save them from their ravenous mother. (How has the guppy population survived extinction, anyway?)

She makes the best pasta salad I've ever had. And she makes it every time I eat at her house. She is sweet and funny and always has time to talk to me, no matter when I call. She provides me with an endless supply of e-mail jokes because she likes to share laughs. She took amazing care of my grandparents when they were sick and has the tiniest dog that she loves and loves, even though he is capable of driving her crazy.

She never judges me when I tell her anything - and that is why I can tell her anything. Her car is always spotless, her home always cozy. If I showed up on her front porch with a suitcase, she would invite me to stay as long as I needed. She is a wonderful great-aunt and grandmother who never forgets the kids on any occasion.

I love and treasure my Auntie. See? I'm 44 and I still call her "Auntie"!