Auntie (noun): A safe space. A woman connected by blood, birth, community, or divine placement who loves, nurtures, supports, and covers.
Auntie (verb): To love, care, cover, encourage, and pour into another like an auntie.
Some things are understood. The friends of my parents are my aunts and uncles.
Their children are my cousins.
Their children,
and the children of my cousins,
are my nieces and nephews.
That’s just how it is.
Aunties go beyond biological connection.
Beyond blood.
Beyond birth.
There are aunties God places in your life.
It’s a rite of passage. When the elders grab your hand
and press folded bills
deep into the palm of your hand
and whisper,
Treat yourself.
Spend this on yourself.
It’s the sweetness of a candy ministry.
Those aunties who open up purses
full of sweet candies,
accompanied by sweet hearts.
It’s sweet.
It’s hugging the aunties with the locs
whose hugs smell like shea butter.
It’s being auntied.
Aunties are safe spaces.
There are aunties connected by blood and birth
and aunties God places among us
while we are here on this earth.
And now—
I am the auntie.
I am the one who hugs.
Who holds babies
and beauties
and queens.
I am the one taking hands
and folding dollar bills into them.
Or simply asking,
Give me your Cash App.
So I can drop something in your pocket.
I want to the auntie with the locs
whose hugs smell like shea butter.
I embrace my auntie-ness.
And I am not perfect by any means.
I embrace the beauty of imperfectness.
Imperfection.
Beauty and flaws.
There is beauty in auntie-ness.
This shirt spoke to me.
Rich Auntie Vibes.
Rich Auntie Energy.
Because rich means so many things.
Rich in relationships.
Rich in love.
Rich in connection.
Rich in community.
There is richness in being connected.
There is beauty in love.
In women loving women.
In caring for one another.
In community.
There is a ministry of aunties.
Supporting parents.
Supporting families.
Being there in so many ways.
Whether by blood,
through birth,
or the aunties God places in our lives.
I embrace my aunties.
I embrace the aunties who loved me.
I embrace the Auntie I am.
I was auntied.
Now I auntie. 💛
Who auntied you—and how are you auntie-ing others now? 💛
Rev Auntie Sunshine
(My Niece Gabi named me)
