Ending with a Flourish

Aunt Virginia died this past week and the kids and I went to the wake. We got to see family and friends and learn about a side of the family that we are not as familiar. She was 93 years old when she died.

It turns out that Aunt Virginia (my great aunt) was quite a spunky one. In the picture above, she was on a cruise ship with my great uncle (my grandpa's brother) and participated in a talent show. She was in her early 70's. The talent show's prize was a bottle of champagne and she was determined to get it.

Two of the guys seated at her table were asking their wives to sing a song they wrote and enter the contest. The wives were not willing to get up and make spectacles of themselves so my great aunt said she would. The picture above shows her singing with the guys.

If this was not amazing enough, my aunt realized that singing alone may not take the prize so she decided to end the song with a "flourish" (as quoted by my cousin Ginger). Below is the picture that shows her flourish:

That is one way to flourish. She was right though, the ending clinched the win for her. Cheers to you Aunt Virginia and I know you are flourishing in your new home now!

Lessons learned: Be yourself, take chances, express yourself, Don't let someone else dampen your zest, old people can do amazing things, take care of your body, if ya got it, flaunt it!