Legacy of Love

 To be phenomenal means to be outstanding, extraordinary, and exceptional. Well, that was my great Aunt, Marilyn Cheatham Darby. Have you ever met someone that you never knew, but felt like you knew them for years? That was Aunt Marilyn. She never met a stranger. She had a big heart full of love for people and her family. At family gatherings, she would always tell us mesmerizing stories about long gone family members.  She was an extraordinary storyteller and my inspiration for finding my ancestors through genealogical research.
 As I would sit,enthralled, listening to her stories, I would pick up names of relatives and places where they resided. Every time I found a fact about one of our ancestors, I would call her in California. She would be so excited and say, "Yes Yes, you found them."  I have found that I miss having those conversations with her. One of her last wishes was that my aunts and I would plan a Cheatham Family Reunion. She absolutely loved family gatherings!

Whenever she came home to St. Louis, we knew we would laugh, dance, fry fish, and visit old neighborhoods and cemeteries. She just loved to reminisce.

Although she is gone from us, her legacy of love for others and family still lives on. Her granddaughter, Noel, has started a non-profit organization, the SSS Project . SSS stands for selfless, sincere, and serve. The purpose of the project is to help those in need in her community, through Blessing Boxes and meals. Aunty would be right out there laboring with her. The legacy of family is now extended to the family of man.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what Aunty would say or do in a situation. Sometimes I can hear her still, small voice whispering in my ear, cuss words and all! I love you, aunty, for who you were in my life and the legacy you left.