"Its the Little Things."

I met Aniene Porter as a Freshman in High school.

It was my first day at work, and I’ll admit, I was tentative about starting out in a real job with absolutely zero experience. So much pressure was on my shoulders to meet the high standards my brother ser as a star employee at Once Upon A Time.
My first day, I walked into the store and she was there. She smiled at me and called me over to her.

“Let me tell you a story…”

Over the years she told me not only a story, but a lifetime of tales that always managed to make coming into the work the highlight of my high school years. I couldn’t wait to come in and have her smile at me like she did the very first time I met her.

Aniene grew to be more than a boss, more than a coworker. She became one of my closet friends. I would visit her at her home in Vienna to bring her soup, to work on a sewing project, to wrap Christmas presents for her daughter, or to mow her lawn. I shoveled her driveway clear of snow during the three blizzards of 2010. I cleaned out her car, her dishes, even her basement. In fact there wasn’t a whole lot I wouldn’t do for her.

I loved Aniene.

She was a role model, one of the most influential people of my life. She taught me how to bind a quilt, make toffee, even speak a few words in Japanese. She let me eat entire cartons of Ben and Jerry's, and always opened the door, delighted to see me, whether invited or not.

She taught me to take life as it comes, to appreciate the life I have, and to live in peace. She taught me to see past appearance and dig deeper into the hearts of people. She taught me that love was the most powerful thing in the world, and that life is an adventure worth having. More than anything, she taught me to appreciate the little things- The little gestures, the small acts of kindness, the importance in expressing feelings of love.

I cannot think of anyone who taught me so much in such short a time.
Aniene, you will be missed.

But through all the little things- a ladybug, a flip flop, Diet Coke, Cherry Garcia, Jade earrings, the very essence of Once Upon a Time- you will always be remembered.