The Sisters

Jennifer (my oldest grand-daughter) used to refer to her sisters as, "the sisters," like as though they were a separate group within the family.  I never did that, but I could have.  I had 5 living sisters growing up, and I was next to the youngest of them.  They were all so very different from me, and even from each other.  Marion was the most like me and we spent many hours together, even after she married and moved to their own place.  We were both more quiet, introspective, traditional - linear thinkers - and more like my mom than the others.  Doris was more likely to go in her own direction, and that included an early marriage and large family. She was very caring, though, and spent a lot of time with us even after moving out and across the river with her Charlie  and their kids.  Towards the end, she and I were in almost daily contact, spending much time reliving memories and talking about how hard it was to lose her husband.  She missed him so much, and never really got over it. She had COPD for many years and struggled a lot.  Frances never married and she and Shirley lived at home, taking care of my mom throughout the 16 years of mom's Parkinson's Disease.  They both worked outside the home, too.  Frances spent most of the years working at a book publishing factory and Shirley at The Sheltered Workshop, which employed handicapped people. Shirley had polio as a teenager and never was really strong.  She was quite introverted and a real homebody.  She always walked the couple of miles to work and spent evenings at home.  Shirley loved Pepsi, raw onions, and cigarettes.  She kept her love and caring pretty much inside herself, though.  Now, Frances, on the other hand, called everybody "Love" and was much more outgoing and confident!  She had strong opinions and did not hesitate to voice them.  She is the sister who gave me the most grief growing up, but she eventually had an experience with Christ and became a good friend to me.  She always had a cat and the cat was always a cantankerous one - make of that what you will - and she took a lot of teasing over that.  

The three brothers were next and could be the subject of an entire post some day.  But after them is where I fit in.  This is a good spot, because it meant that all the hand-me-downs were worn out and so I needed new clothes every school year!  As my younger sister and I grew to be similar in size, we were able to share a wardrobe and that gave us double the outfits each year - pretty neat, huh?!  We thought so! Joyce and I were almost a new set of sisters because we were so much younger than the others.  We were the "pests" that "the sisters" had to care for each evening as my mom worked at a local restaurant.  Dad was in no way a baby-sitter and "the sisters" never really had a choice.  I didn't feel sorry for them at the time but I did understand later. They and the brothers all felt that we were babied and had it so much easier than they had experienced.  So, we did have a fair amount of sibling rivalry going on and lots of arguments, etc. I think that perhaps Joyce had it the hardest of all because she had no one to "be the boss of " like we all did.  That is possibly why she decided to make her own way in the world much earlier than the rest of us.  She made some choices that I did  not see coming because I had headed off to college by then and was in my own world.  I know life was not easy for her for awhile and I so wish we had all been better people then.  Lots of regrets on our parts - but I have always been so very proud of how she turned out, and the wonderful person she became.

I really have loved/missed all of my sisters, and always will.  Today is June 15, though, and today Joyce would have been 72 if she had not passed away last year.  I know that all her kids are missing her as much as I am, and that is why I am writing today.  Life is a wonderful gift to us, given by God.  He places us in families for our care, love, and enjoyment.  My blood family is the one He chose for me and I am so very grateful to Him!  I love them all - just 2 brothers and I remain - and someday I hope to see them all again. Then I will be able to thank God for them, and also for His very evident love for me!  Happy Birthday, Joyce!