Sisters... and More!

So today is my sister's birthday. She is sixty one years young and a beauty inside and out. I had to work today and as usual without a vehicle so did my birthday shopping at work. My boss, Barb is the hugest wine snob I know so went straight to the source and got my sister two bottles of wine. Both are wines she wouldn't be able to purchase which made it a bit more special but not by much. One is from South Africa and the other from California but neither sold retail. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like grapes with a buzz!

She has two grown sons and a step son at Vanderbilt.

Casey is her oldest. This is a pic of him with his girlfriend, Eli who is already considered family as well.

This is her younger son, Griff with his girlfriend, Jamie also already one of our family.

Here's our  whole somewhat dysfunctional yet lovable family. Her step son wasn't in this shot but picture her husband decades earlier and you have him.

We lost our mom in 1977 and Cin has been the mother hen since. I've never met anyone who doesn't love my sister...and wouldn't care to if such person exists.

Every time we are together is a joy, blessing and ultimate laugh fest. She has done so much for not only me but my family all while taking care of about a million other things. I always wanted my daughter to have a sister but over the years have decided having an Aunt Cindy is even better.

We both have super short hair and most people who don't know us think we are either related or lesbians. Neither label bothers me. (or my sister)

Over the years she's painted every room in our house and just recently re painted my kitchen top to bottom. I know how to pick a pseudo lesbian sister or what?

When I was a lot younger and had money I used to help her out when she was a single mom raising two young sons. She has paid me back ten fold and then some over the years.


On a slightly more remorse note, another young person I know has passed way, way too soon from an overdose. It just boggles my mind. When I was a kid in high school, this never happened. We had one kid die in a car wreck which put one in a wheelchair and seriously injured the third. It was totally a freak of nature to us back then in the late seventies but has become a too often occurrence in these current troubling times.

The loss of my mother from an aneurysm devastated me when I was seventeen. I cannot imagine enduring the loss of  one of my own children to a gun, needle, pill or bottle.

I know teens and young adults think they are invincible, I felt the same way but was one of the lucky ones. For Pete's sake, you could get hit by a bus but never invite one into your path of life.

I know these kids, almost ten of them by now never meant to die... but did. That's not much comfort for a parent, sibling or friend.

My kids have survived to thrive and thank God for that every day. For the parents whose kid's didn't, you have my heartfelt sympathy.

My husband and I were talking just the other day. He had come to pick me up from work after dropping off one of our sons at work and then swinging by to take me home before he went to work himself. A car was behind him and riding on our tail. Tim made the comment "Dang, he's on my butt like I owe him money" to which I retorted "We probably do."

At  least Tim got a chuckle out of it.

Yep, we owe everybody and then some. That's what happens when you lose a good job, then your wife loses hers and the bills start to not only stack up but keep coming in.

So what we are behind? We're nowhere close to the depths of debt we were before and making strides...small strides but at least slowly moving in the right direction.

Her's what's positive about my life. I've always been an extremely nosy mother and know when something's amiss with one of my kids. I have never minded butting into their private life when I have the feeling I need to. They may hate me for it then but at least be alive to thank me for it later.

We've had some issues, nothing as detrimental as overdosing but just lack of good judgement on one of my kid's part. We had to let him man up, and he did. It wasn't easy for me and certainly wasn't for him.

He came out of it a much better person...and a man.

I realize some parents aren't as fortunate as me , through no fault of their own. It simply lets me know once again how lucky and blessed we truly are.

I say time and time again that money is over rated. Of course it's easy to say  that when you don't have any,  but you know what we DO have?

We still have three kids driving us nuts, but only with things like not flushing a toilet or loading the dishwasher. They start a load of clothes in the washer and leave them to sour. They drink the last of the milk without telling anyone or eat the leftovers in the fridge I was really looking forward to. They forget to pick up their shoes or take the trash out when it's full and overflowing. They take things of mine and swear they don't have them only for me to find my nail clippers in their bedroom or tweezers in their bathroom.

These are things which may irritate but in hindsight, make you grateful they are still that little tiny rock in your shoe which annoys you with every step.

Tomorrow is my oldest's birthday. He's the one who didn't leave stretch marks. In other words, he's my my step son but have always hated that term.  He was just two when he came into my life and practiced on him for  several years before pushing a kid out of a pin hole myself. His natural mom and I mended fences years ago and now share him although I've thought thought about sending him back for a visit. Men are hard to live with. Now that Massey is away at college I'm stuck here with a massive amount of balls, counting the dog's there are twelve.

Just gonna count my blessings once again, wake up tomorrow and hope a car isn't chasing Tim and me down the street again. If they are, I hope they'll take  a post dated check.

Til next time...COTTON




I would love to correct the typos but using my son's computer and it is going bonkers on me when I try to edit. (Another great thing about having kids live at home) At least all the toilet seats are down.