Good food and great company. Why leave the house?.
When my little sis is here next week there will be three generations of both of us (all female) under one roof. Because they live in the most beautiful state in the country and it will be 900 degrees here, we will not do much sightseeing. Instead, we will laugh and talk non-stop and force my husband to leave town.
That’s what girls do, right?
My mom was one of nine girls.
There was not a day of her childhood that she did not share a room with older and younger siblings who played dolls, sang and did gymnastics on beds.
I had two brothers. I adored them. And they did all of these things, too. Just not willingly.
The greatest gift my mom ever gave me was a sister. Hers.
When I was ten, my mom’s younger sister June came to live with us.
She shared my bedroom and though we were 13 years apart, she was everything I dreamed a sister would be. She cared about every Girl Scout badge I was working on. In between starting a new job and making new friends, she taught me about makeup and trendy hair styles. We listened to records while she ironed her clothes for work and she kept our room so clean.
When June moved out, I was left to become a teenager on my own.
She married and started a family (two boys and a girl). I loved those kids (who looked so much like Aunt June and my mom) like I loved my own brothers. We saw them often and I adored Kim. But our age differnce kept us from having a lot in common.
Then one summer years later , Kim took time out from being a giggly high school cheerleader to save my butt!
She wore a hot and stinky fiberglass head with giant eyes and red yarn pigtails, because the Raggedy Ann originally assigned to that suit was a no-show and hundreds of daycare kids were coming to the mall to see her.
Kim danced and sweated and performed five times a day. She posed for pictures with snotty toddlers and babies with wet diapers.
That weekend I got to know the incredible young woman Kim had become. And I knew I would always want to be part of her life.
I knew then why my mother remained so close to all eight of her sisters. Why she stayed so involved in their lives, in spite of how far away they lived.
No sooner did I claim a fake little sister than June moved her family back to Florida. We talked and saw each other when we could, but we were miles and worlds apart.
Then Kim turned 30 and read a book that changed everything. Every Tuesday for a year, she called me. We talked about marriage, parenting and our spiritual lives. We spent at least an hour every week laughing and talking.
She has a different mother, but she is my sister in every way that matters. We are together even when we are apart.
We’ll be doing a lot of talking when Kim and her girls are here And eating and maybe some cooking.
Here are three recipes we’ll probably make:
Hummingbird Cake (the Southern Living recipe and signature dessert of both our moms)
Let me know if you use one of the recipes. Or if you have a story that will embarrass your sister!
