V isn't the child that made me an aunt. She and her brother came into my life when my sister married their father. She was just four, full of life and as spritely as ever, but carrying the loss of her mother at an even younger age. I remember being so curious about her, wanting to know what made her tick, how to win her companionship, but V has always been a girl that guards her heart and her energy.
She turns 11 in August, so we've had a bit of time to get to know one another a little better. She loves to read. We've shared several books that I enjoyed growing up and she devours them, losing herself in the stories, feeling the emotions of the protagonists, and mourning the ending of the literary journey at the end of each last chapter. She chooses bravery and courage. Her love of horses has surpassed any fear she carries regarding any bad thing that could happen while riding. She gushes about the animals she spends time with, spitting out stories so fast that if you don't take a minute to stop and really listen, you'll have missed it entirely. She doesn't spend energy on things she doesn't care for, but when her eyes light up with passion, the sparkle ignites a flame inside the observer's own soul - it is truly luminescent. She's pensive and thoughtful and you know that when she has something to say, she has really taken the time to think about it and means every word.
The thing I admire most about V is her willingness to question what she hears and is taught. She doesn't take your word for it just because it's your word. She respectfully processes, ruminates, ponders, and then decides whether or not something is truth. She values science just as much as she does the spiritual. My sister and her husband have purposed to give their kids a safe space to ask questions and challenge the status quo, whether it's something they hear at church, school, on TV, or in passing conversation. Watching V's desire to cultivate her own spiritual growth has given me the courage to question, search, and explore on my own terms - something I have struggled with for much of my life.
A niece is a friend given by Nature.
Being an aunt makes life fuller, more fulfilling. I get to invest in these people, these precious souls. I get to love them and speak positivity into their lives and show them a different perspective of life and the world than they get from their parents. I get to let them know that they are worth it, that in the midst of the chaos of growing up, their lives are special. Meaningful.
She's special, this one.