She lived in the centre of Ljubljana, a few kilometres away from us. As she couldn't have children of her own, I was her little darling. We were often together and her husband and she always spoiled me.
When I was a bit older and started secondary school, I often popped in to see them. When I was leaving school, I'd hop on the local bus, as the bus stop was only a few steps away, so it was natural to knock on their door and give them at least a friendly hello.
After finishing my studies, I got a job as a qualified teacher at a small school in a tiny village far from Ljubljana. When I returned after a good decade into the valley, there was no more harshness. He left too soon and left my aunt alone. Now I visited her more often again, and even more often when I started teaching in Ljubljana.
I was only a few hundred metres away again, so I made her lonely days easier. Actually, what I said isn't entirely true, as my aunt was never bored. I always surprised her with knitting needles or a book in her hands. Every time I arrived, she would immediately put down her work and put on a pot of coffee. We drank it slowly, chatted a little, and then we said goodbye.
Everything changed when I retired. For a while, I went to see her once a week. I brought her lunch and some goodies from the home garden and spent a whole morning with her. As she did not go out alone, except to the morning mass which was held nearby, I persuaded her to get dressed and go for a short walk with me. From Figovec in the centre of Ljubljana to the market or fishmonger's. We sat down in the fish restaurant, ordered lunch, and then slowly walked past various shops and back to Figovec. On the way, she stopped, took my hand and said to me: »What do you want today? What do you need?« Then we walked into a shop and she said, »See if there's anything for you.«
She's spoken to me kindly many times and bought me quite a lot; dresses, jumpers, shoes and even handbags.
One day, however, she said to me: »Today we have work to do first, only then will there be lunch. You'll come with me to Caritas.«
She stepped into the bedroom and brought two large bags. I looked at her in surprise: »What do you have in those bags?«
»In one there are socks, in the other there are shirts for poor children. Many children get cold in winter, so I sat and thought of the little mischievous ones, and I stitched and sewed. Look how warm my socks are. And what lovely, colourful and warm shirts,« she replied.
It was cold, as I looked at the full bags.
»I didn’t have children, but many children do not have warm clothes. I thought of them and worked. This made my heart feel warm. I worked and sang with contentment. I was extremely happy to be able to contribute a tiny bit – just with colourful and warm shirts – for poor children. I worked with love and I wove that love into these clothes.«
She was beaming with happiness, and so was I, watching her. I never thought I had such a warm-hearted aunt who doesn't think only of herself, because her vision goes much further than that. She did not complain, she was not bored. She worked quietly and cheerfully and her work bore fruit.
Darinka Kobal, 24/03/2026
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