Hey Pandas, What Is The Most Beautiful Thing Someone Has Ever Said To You? (Closed)

Thank you for existing. From a friend I helped. I didn't know what to say after that.

My niece texted to ask me what I wanted for Christmas. I told her I didn't really need anything but if they wanted to get me anything photo's would be the best I needed new ones of them. This wonderful now adult came over with a wrapped present and three notes. She had a very specific order she wanted me to read and open them in.

The present was a series of photos of me, my mom, my animals, my grandparents and all of those people are some of the closest to me. The last letter she gave me she told me she was going to get some of her and her brothers, with their mom, but that she wanted to give me those I missed the most first. Grandpa died in 2017, Nanny has Alzheimer's and lives with my Aunt about 4 hours away, and my mom is in a nursing home 1.5 hours away. I almost lost my mom to Covid this year.

This wonderful woman then proceeds to tell me how much I mean to her and her family. How much I have become apart of her life, and how she's so happy to have an Aunt, Best Friend, and Other Mother all in one when it comes to me. I don't cry, I'm not a crier, and she made me cry. She started dancing around in victory at after all the years she's known me she finally made me cry, and it was happy tears.

Side note I've always called her and her siblings my 'not children'. They're my kids, but they're not my kids but they're still my kids. Gah I'm tearing up thinking about it now. Next time she comes over I'm singing that old song Nanny remembered 'Ka-Ka-Ka-Katie beautiful Lady'.

A nice twist on the usual pressure to have children:
Boss (mother of one): "Do you have children?"
Me: "No. I like them, but I never wanted any of my own."
Boss (smiles): "Well, the world needs aunts."

Before COVID and masks became a thing, people would always say I have a pretty smile. Now that we have masks, people will tell me that they can tell when someone is squinting instead of smiling, but it’s easy to tell I’m smiling because of the joy in my eyes. I’ve always smiled more with my eyes, but never realized it was so noticeable.