Happy Birthday to my Sister

I was an only child for 5 years. Then something happened. My mom gave birth to a baby girl a month too soon. Oh, my, that was the end of having undivided attention. But--it gave me the opportunity to run all over the neighborhood and make friends with the older kids and the elderly neighbors who were always happy to give me cookies and a glass of milk. Mom was too busy with my baby sister to even wonder where I might be.

My sister was adorable--but she wasn't always so good. I remember once I was called into the kindergarten class because Margie wasn't behaving. Exactly what she was doing, or what they thought I could do, I have no idea.

During World War II families in England were sending their children to other places to keep them safe from the bombing. I told everyone that my sister was a princess who had been sent to us to take of her for the duration of the war. Not sure who all believed me except one--my sister Margie, and for a long, long time she was sure she was adopted.

She was darling. She looked a lot like Margaret O'Brien who was a popular child actress at that time. She didn't always act so darling. We shared a room, my half was neat--hers was not. I remember putting a line down on the floor to mark our halves so she'd keep her mess on her own side.

 When we were kids, though I was proud of my sis and loved her, I didn't always like her.

That changed once we became adults.  We both married young--and we're both still married to our first and only husbands.

I had two girls, and then my sis got pregnant with her first child--and guess what, I got pregnant about 3 months later. When she got pregnant with her second child, I got pregnant 3 months later. When I got pregnant again, I called her and asked, "Do you have a secret you haven't told me?" And sure enough, yes, she was pregnant. (I ended up with 3 girls and two boys, she had 3 boys and a girl.)

We've only lived close to each other for a few years. Soon after we moved to Springville, she and her husband built a house about 8 minutes away. All of her adult children soon followed. Their youngest child and only daughter went to school here. Our mom and dad move into the little house on our property. Our two families had a grand and crowded time celebrating all our holidays together. We also had a huge 80th birthday for mom and relatives and friends came from all over California. When mom was in her 80s, she, my sis and I all went to Hawaii together and had grand time.

The job market dried up. All my sister's adult children moved to Las Vegas where things were booming. My sister couldn't stand not having her kids and grandkids nearby and it wasn't long before she and her hubby took off for Las Vegas.

I miss having her so close, but we do got to visit periodically. Our whole family gets together for a reunion once a year in Barstow--of all places--and we have a great time.

What is so special about my sister's and my relationship today is we can share secrets, complain about things we'd never complain to anyone else about, and I'm afraid we also discuss old-age woes.

Margie and Piercy and Hap and I have gone to a lot of interesting places together including a few cruises.

I love my sister and I am wishing her the happiest of birthdays!

Marilyn