Thank You, Aunt Tea... You May Rest Now!

Hey, Y'all!

In today's blog, I would like to take a more serious approach. I can promise you, though, that today's blog is, as always, a unique one

As of 11:00a.m. PST on Christmas morning, I have completed Ms. Vivian's autobiography. This was a great Christmas present, given that I started writing my second book sometime in late April/early May.

One of the things that I thought about after completing Ms. Viv book was: "Wow, it's done—it's officially done!" However, as I was printing out the chapters and putting them in my binder, I thought about something else: an angel returned home while I was writing my book.

It is no secret that the Ms. Vivian character is a sweet homage to my dear sweet Aunt Rosie, a.k.a. "Aunt Tea." Not too many people know this, but I created Ms. Vivian as a means to cope with the bittersweet loss of Aunt Tea. When The Lord took Aunt Tea home on January 8, 2008, it changed my world forever. Suddenly, I was faced with all kinds of trials and tribulations, and I didn’t have anyone to talk to. Oh, sure—I had people to talk to, but they had problems just like I did. As I struggled to make it through the storms in my life, I also had to cope with the loss of such a lovable family member. It was then that I found a way through my grief, in the form of writing my first book, Simply Bret. In the process of writing my first book, I created Ms. Vivian as a way to deal with Aunt Tea’s transition.

It amazes me sometimes how it took my Aunt Tea to leave home in order for Ms. Vivian to be born.

When I started writing Ms. Viv's autobiography back in April 2010, something happened. Ms. Vivian started to take on a life of her own, and Aunt Tea slowly but surely stepped out of the picture. When I officially completed Ms. Viv's autobiography, I thought about Aunt Tea, and that's when it hit me: It was as if I was saying: “Aunt Tea, you can go now. I’m still gonna miss you like crazy, but you can go.”

Anyone who had a chance to meet my dear sweet Aunt Tea already knows how remarkable a jewel she was. Close friends knew how I would light up whenever I talked about my adventures with my Aunt Tea. Well, Aunt Tea is gone to Glory, but her spirit and her legacy continues to show itself—this time through Ms. Vivian.

Thank you for your inspiration, Aunt Tea—you may now rest. I love you.