I am the oldest of four children. I have a brother born 11 months after me, a brother born 4 years after me and a sister born 12 years after me. I always wanted a sister but our age difference as children didn’t allow us to develop a close relationship until much later in our lives. I will never forget the day that our parents told us the news that we were going to have a baby. My dad called us all into the den and sat us on the couch. He began by saying that he had a wonderful surprise for us. At that point my youngest brother, who was 8 at the time, jumped up and shouted yay, we are going to Disney World!! To say the least, the boys were somewhat disappointed with the news of a baby. I, on the other hand, was thrilled.
We grew up in a wonderful home with loving parents. My sister graduated from kindergarten the same year I graduated from high school. Off to college I went and she was left at home to grow up. My senior year in college, our mother was diagnosed with cancer and my role changed from sister to caregiver. She will never let me forget that on picture day, I made her wear her girl scout uniform. I thought it was Girl Scout day, not picture day. We still have the school picture to look at and remember that unfortunate mistake on my part. I was doing the best I could standing in for the mother that always had everything organized and put together. After college, I married and she was my maid of honor at 9 years old.
Fast forward many years and now we are both adults with grown children. Our parents both passed away several years ago, 24 days apart, and we, the siblings, are now the ones called to hold the family together. Family is important. We hold the same memories and care for each other in a way that no one else will.
My sister and I decided that we would like to take one big trip a year together to make new memories. It certainly helps that our husbands like each other and were on board with the plan. They suggested that we purchase 5th wheels and we, not really completely understanding what we were getting into, agreed. This in itself was a miracle considering that we did not grow up spending time in the great outdoors. Our family enjoyed vacations to resorts and condominiums with all the luxuries provided.
Our first trip together was to South Dakota to participate in a mission trip. This trip was planned for us so no need to prepare. We learned a lot about pulling a big 5th wheel and traveling in this manner. Our next trip was just a few weeks later. We traveled to Utah to see Arches National Park, then on to Yellowstone National Park. We secured campsites next to each other at each stop. Great memories were made sitting out in the afternoon after a day of sightseeing and picture taking.
This summer, we planned our trip to Glacier National Park, Banff, Canada, and Lake Louise. We are retired so we spent several days in Colorado before meeting up with them in Montana. They travel with their 18 year old special needs son so we cater our activities to things he can do in a wheelchair. He is a trooper! We have enjoyed the beautiful scenery in Glacier, shopping in the gift shops and small towns and just generally being together creating new memories together. Family is important. We are cut from the same cloth but have our own unique likes and dislikes that we bring to the table. We still learn from each other and grow as individuals just being together. I have learned so much from my sister over the past few years. Watching her deal with her special needs son and all that he requires has taught me patience. Watching her deal with health issues of her own in such a calm way has taught me to rely on God and His perfect plan. She is calm in the face of adversity and sees things through a more eternal perspective. If you have been blessed with a sister like I have, give her an extra hug today and be truly thankful that you got so lucky!!
