A very sister kind of a post . . .

 “Sister. She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child.” 
~Barbara Alpert   

This is a photograph of my sister and I.  I am on the left, she on the right.  I think I was about six years old in this and she about three.  I love her ringlets.  My mother must have had to work really hard to get those into her hair.   Her hair has always been poker straight and could never hold a curl very easily.  I see love in this picture.  Pure and simple . . . and true.

My sister has always been my best friend.  I know . . . when my mother first brought her home from the hospital I told her to take her back, I didn't want her . . . but it didn't take very long for that to change.  I reckon out of all the gifts I have been given in this world . . . my sister has been one of the greatest of them all.



This is a picture of me pushing my sister around in my doll carriage.  She had fallen asleep in it.  I'm not sure how, as it does look very cramped, but . . . she did anyways, and I have books piled on top of her too. I did try to make her comfy with a pillow though.  (In my defense.)  This shows you the relationship we had with each other even as young children.   My sister would do anything for me then . . . and she would do anything for me now.  And all through the intervening years she has been there for me always . . .

Through my early teenage years when I was going through a rough time  at school and being bullied and teased.   Through my older teenage years when I could quite easily gone off the rails.   Through my raising of five children, two divorces, a bazillion moves, and everything that life entails and throws at you . . .  she's been there.

With a measure of  love and acceptance, no matter how or what . . . or when.



I admire her.   She is one of the most courageous people I know.  She always has been.  I am not sure she knows that about herself, but it's true.  She's always been brave and not afraid to stand up for herself or what is right, or the underdog . . . she always had my back.   Even when she may have thought what I was doing was wrong, or a mistake . . . she always had my back, and I could count on her strength and courage in all situations.

Even now I admire her courage.  It wasn't easy for her to quit her job, and just up stakes and leave everything that was familiar, including her children . . . to go to a place she hadn't lived in for Thirty Eight years just to take care of our mom.  That takes immeasurable courage and sacrifice untold.

She didn't do it for her.  She did it for us.  For all of us . . . and I, for one, am truly grateful.



She's much more than a sister to me.  She's a friend through thick and thin and the best of it and the worst of it.  She would never give me a bum steer . . . or bad advice or counsel.   She has always been my voice of reason when it comes to the really important stuff.   She helps me to see things in a different light . . . never judging me . . . gently cajoling me with a spirit of love and wisdom . . . and respect.

“There were once two sisters who were not afriad of the dark because the dark was full of the other's voice across the room, because even when the night was thick and starless they walked home together from the river seeing who could last the longest without turning on her flashlight, not afraid because sometimes in the pitch of night they'd lie on their backs in the middle of the path and look up until the stars came back and when they did, they'd reach their arms up to touch them and did.” 
~Jandy Nelson

We understand each other in a special and unique way, and share something that we can never and will never be able to share with anyone else.  Through all of my growing up years I lay in bed each night listening to her deep and even breathing in our shared room, like a comfortable and warming blanket.  We did not ever really need words between us . . . we know how the other feels and thinks without words . . .

We know each other's heart and soul.



There is a thread that joins us.  It is a thread which has the strength of a thousand warriors and the light of a million moons.   A thread which has stood the test of time and never weakened, only gotten stronger and more tangible.  Thousands of miles may separate us  in body . . . but we are never more than a millisecond away in heart, bound together we are . . . bound together, inseparable

  

And I wanted her to know how very much I love her, and admire her, and . . . yes, cherish her.  Other friends may come and go.  Life may change drastically from one day to the next.  We may have a more than few hundred tomorrows to come, or we may have only a very few.  Nobody knows for sure.  It's a roll of the dice on the shifting sands of time.  I just wanted to pause today and let her know I care, and I admire, and I appreciate . . . and I love.

A thought to carry with you through the day . . .

We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us
so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid,
or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder.
We always have the choice.
~Dalai Lama ¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ´¯)
(¸♫´ (¸.♫´´¯`•.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ  


 

Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . a tasty Corn and Pasta Bake.

Have a wonderful Thursday people!!  I won't be here tomorrow.  We will be leaving for the train about 5:30 am, and won't be back until gone 8pm, so I'll see you all on Saturday!