I have been blessed with 5 sisters. Yes, that's right..my poor Dad had SIX girls...no boys... Each one of these sisters has a very different and special meaning in my life. I thought today I would take a minute and talk about them.
I'm going to start with Kimberly. She is 8 years younger than me. When we were growing up, that seemed like a lifetime. I didn't realize at the time how insignificant 8 years would feel when we were in our 30s. I cannot even imagine my life without Kim. When I'm having a truly horrible very bad no good day...she is the first one I call. She is able to make me laugh in spite of myself. She has given me the priceless gems known as Kassidy and Alex. I honestly never knew it was possible to love someone else's kids so much. I would do anything for either of those two kiddos. Kim has done such a remarkable with both of them. I am so proud of how hard working, kind and loving she is. There are many times I want to be more like her.
After giving me only two short years to adjust to having a younger sibling...Mom and Dad brought home Cyndi. I didn't really get to know Cyndi much until after I had already left the house. She was a whopping 10 years younger than me. In my self obsessed selfish teenaged mind, I didn't have time to appreciate the sweet little child that she was. But then a funny thing happened. Both of us had marriage swirl the drain. All the sudden we had all these same experiences and feelings that made it so easy for us to relate to eachother. Cyndi has grown into this absolutely amazing woman right before my eyes. She showed a grace that I couldn't have even dreamed of having dealing with the end of her first marriage. There is this solid rock under the surface with Cyndi. Watching her being a Mother to little Nathaniel (and now a Stepmom to Jerry's four) I often times find myself in awe. She truly inspires me.
I have to first start talking about the triplets as that: the triplets...a unit. When I was growing up I harbored serious anger, resentment and jealousy to all three of them. Looking back now with adult eyes I see that NONE of those things were ever their fault. Jennifer, Bethany and Amy are 3 years older than me. They are petite, gorgeous and every stinking one of them is talented in some amazing way that I will never be. You see, we were all growing up in this amazing blended family. So Dad didn't get to have the girls around as much as he wanted. I remember seeing the pain that he was in and in my child's way, blaming the girls. Then on the occasion that we did get to have them come visit, Dad was in this impossible position. All of the "rules of our house" weren't the same rules that they had in Pittsburgh...so it was either cave (and make me angry) or not cave (and make them angry). What a total lose lose situation he and my Mom were in. Now that we've all grown and begun our own lives, I've had some (not enough) opportunity to get to know each of them as their own person...which is all they ever wanted growing up it turns out.
Jennifer has a passion for the written word. I love that about her. I love that you can feel her passion when you read her words. I envy that more than she will ever know. Of the three older sisters, Jenn is the one that I've spent the least amount of time with. But somehow, she is the one that I feel like I "get" the most. She is this amazing Mother to her three GORGEOUS boys Dash, Will and Max. I see these pictures of her painting and coloring and baking with her boys and I am deeply in awe. As a Mother of 3 boys myself, I know that's not easy! I only hope that at some point in our lives, we'll be able to spend some actual quality time with Jenn and her family.
The dancer in our family is Bethany. She is graceful and gorgeous. She has not had an easy road in life, yet she still manages to have all this beautiful faith and love for people. I admire that so much. I find myself so cynical these days. Bethany loves with all that is Bethany...heart and soul for better or worse. She goes all in...it's beautiful!
That brings me to Amy. Amy is a wonder. She is this quiet peaceful woman, but right under the surface is this Italian fire. Her husband Donny is active military and I still don't know how you find the strength to send off your man like that. Her children Danny and Mary are absolutely adorable. I only got to spend a very little bit of time with them, but fell completely in love with both of them. Amy has morphed into this confident woman and mother in a way that I wish I could. You can sit and look at her and see the happiness that her kids and husband have brought to her.
I guess the point of all this rambling has been this:
There have been times in my life that I've had very little. I have been through alot. But I always had these amazing women in my life. I have always been wealthy because of them. And now all of my boys have these built in remarkable Aunts. (Don't even get me started on the wonderful men that they have each married!!) So I say, Thank You to Jennifer, Bethany, Amy, Kimberly and Cyndi for sharing my life with me...I love you all<3
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