my aunt kay

My aunt is the kindest person I have ever met. She is an 80-something Korean woman whose early years were marred by the Korean war. Being the oldest daughter in her family, she had to grow up far more quickly than a child should.

There was one afternoon when she invited me for lunch at her home because she had just cleaned the picnic table in her backyard. I made the hour long drive and brought pizza. She was ecstatic.

That day, she felt strangely reminiscent and so she shared some stories from her youth. Some of them made me giggle. She had been young, strong, beautiful, and vibrant. YOLO would’ve been her motto. Other stories had me sobbing. While I wiped my tears, she spoke candidly about some of her traumatic experiences with a blank expression.

Her stories were nothing new to me. What I found incomprehensible was how, despite everything, this woman decided she would work harder to be kinder to the world.

This is the kind of person Kay is. Everywhere she goes, she makes a friend. She is generous even when people shortchange her or take advantage of her. She anticipates needs and wants before they exist in others. She always makes an effort to make people feel comfortable and included. In her stories, she highlights all the parts where she believes she could’ve done better. She is quick to forgive and love others.

The more I get to know her, the more I see how lacking I am in kindness and compassion. Although married and widowed, she never had children. Still, the legacy of her extraordinary kindness will live on when she is finished with her work on Earth.