Getting it Right....

Have you ever thought, really thought, about how empty your life would be without certain people in it? How just knowing certain people helps you stay on an even keel during both smooth and tumultuous times? For me, that person is my sister, Traci. An idealist, a dreamer, a rock-solid realist all rolled into one.

With four years between us, she was often a little too old to play with her little sister, but I remember spending hours and hours in the floor with her, Barbies and Barbie clothes spread out before us....

I remember peering from the stairs to catch glimpses of "Dark Shadows," too afraid to sit out in the open without my sister close by....

I remember my sister slipping me money, so I could buy a slice of pizza at the skating rink.

When she went off to college, I remember writing her pages and pages of letters, many of which were recaps of the latest novel I was reading. But for me, it was a way of talking to her even when she wasn't there.

I remember how she never said one ill word toward me when I went to her house "to help her out" after her first child was born. Me. A skydiving, plane-flying, non-child-rearing person at the time. I got so lost on my way back from the grocery store, I ended up in the next town. She had to get out at night to help me find my way back to her home.

Not long ago, I posted a list of people and things for which I was grateful. Leave it to me to leave her off that list. My sister. My cheerleader. My confidante. My friend. I told her that she was in a realm of her own. That the gratitude list just didn't go high enough to include her. And she should know.

A couple of years ago when she was preparing to go on an Emmaus Walk, I wrote a letter to her that shared my feelings and made it clear how very special she is in my life. She never got the letter. It never arrived. And while I could never come up with the same words that I used that day, the feeling is the same. She is a precious person to me, and I can't imagine how empty my life would be without her.

I'm thankful to be a part of her world and that she is a part of mine... a big part that can't be filled by any other. You know the saying, "you're more than a sister, you're a friend?" It's absolutely true.

The photo is of Traci with her son as they welcome his baby sister into the world. Can't you just see the love?

I have another sister, Parris, who is also a dear and special part of my life. She'll take center stage soon in an upcoming post. xoxo