Just a brief history of my sister. She came early into this world, meaning she was born premature and weighed a mere 3 lbs . By todays standards, that is still very tiny and considering she got pneumonia soon after birth and lost down to 2 lbs, her chances of survival were limited even further. However, she beat the odds against her and after two months of initial hospitalization, my mom finally got to bring her home, where I became the guarded brother who pushed away a cousin who tried to get a little too close. I still remember her first day of kindergarten, as it was my job to escort her to Mrs. Powell's class, as I did many other mornings in her adjustment phase. I remember the name of the first boy she liked in class (God rest his soul, and I had nothing to do with it). I remember her "Monkees" phase, which became her NKOTB phase when I returned home from 4 years in the Air Force. I also remember line dancing with her at "Partners" way back in the 90s. I remember her first boyfriend, and the second (whom she later married). I was reminded when visiting her home that I took her wedding pics....my first. I remember the wedding very clearly, her first baby bump and her "blood curdling screams" that left my mom, exwife, dad and I petrified as we stood near the delivery room when she gave birth to her first son (sorry sis, I had to share that one because it still scares me.) One wonderful memento I have from her, is a picture she sent to me via my cell phone showing me her pregnancy test indicating her third son was on the way.... To say I was estactic upon deciphering just what the heck I was looking at is putting it mildly. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest.
I visited her one week ago, and to say I enjoyed myself would be a huge understatement. She spoiled me with lots of good food, and an open invitation to her "sweets pantry," which was well stocked with things guaranteed to tempt even the most ardent diabetic to fall off the wagon. In addition, she spent one day just driving me places to shoot photos, which is always a plus as I'm not very personable when I'm out shooting landscapes. Her boys always make me feel like I have my own kids (albeit - on a try it until you buy it plan...lol). In addition to a mutual love of cats, we both love fishing and Duke basketball. I hope I can someday scratch "watched Duke vs North Carolina at Cameron Indoor stadium live with my sis" off my bucket list, as we have both dreamed of attending a game and joining in with the Cameron Crazies in rooting on our favorite team.
As I look back on the past, I am continuously reminded of how blessed I am to have such a wonderful sister. Her integrity, demeanor, and warm personality make her someone to be looked up to, even in my case and I'm older. Even in her greatest adversities, she has performed admirably by doing what any good basketball player would do with the game on the line and the clock ticking. She stared down her opponent, lowered her shoulder and drove to the basket with one goal in mind. In her case, it was never as simple as pulling the basketball through a hoop, but the premise is the same.... You do what you need to do, when you need to do it, and hope that all the training you've had up until that moment pays off. I'm proud to call her my sister, and I love her dearly. Hopefully, in another 20 years, I can take another similar picture of her and talk more about the woman "behind blue eyes."