Today is my sister’s birthday. Happy Birthday my dear, sweet K. I love you so much! She is two years older than me but we always joke that for just a few months she is only one year older. K. and I are so very different in our personalities. She has always been more outgoing, engaging and enjoys being around people. I have always been the quiet, shy, introverted one. Together we make a good pair. She’s the out-front person (which I don’t care for) and I’m the behind the scenes person (which she doesn’t care for). We always talk about having a business together because we would work well with each other. We just don’t know what kind of business it would be. We once thought of having a soft pretzel business and calling it “The Twisted Sisters” because there have been so many twists and turns in our lives, and well, we’re a little twisted ourselves.
I am thankful for K. She encourages me, supports me and loves me for who I am. This doesn’t mean we haven’t had our differences. Throughout our lives we had moments of sibling rivalry and different opinions on things, but overall we get along well and I have fond memories of much laughter between us.
When we were young, my parents would put us children to bed EARLY, even during the summer. We shared a room, so to entertain ourselves, because we were NOT tired, we would sing songs. Our favorite was “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (I know this is dating ourselves!!) =]. Then we would tell jokes, whatever jokes we could make up. We would lay flat on our beds and one of us would pop up with a joke, lay down, and then the other would pop up with an answer. This would go on for quite some time before we got sleepy or were told it was time to quiet down. I treasure those times.
There were other times when we would sit by the stereo, listening to music, and playing cards for hours. We also took piano lessons together. My mother thought it would be a good idea for us to learn. NOT A GOOD IDEA! K. and I would constantly giggle during the lessons and while practicing at home. The teacher finally said we were not teachable and basically kicked us out because we didn’t take it seriously enough. No, but we had fun together.
I enjoy my sister’s company. For the past three years, she has been physically ill with something that no one could diagnose. She was finally diagnosed, after many doctors' visits, tests, etc. and is slowly beginning to recuperate but her body is still very weak. Her laughter is coming back and I take pleasure in it.
This is one of my favorite pictures of the two of us. It is Christmas time and we are adorned in our “fancy” dresses with our special black velvet headbands decorated with a bow, which was only allowed to be worn on special occasions. We were happy, best buddies, enjoying the moment together. I remember it distinctly. We are still happy with each other, best buddies and enjoying every moment we can get with each other.
So today K., I wish you the sweetest birthday. I am glad you are my sister. Thank you for the laughter you bring to me and the shoulder you let me cry on when needed. You are a blessing!!!!