No Sibling Rivalry Here!
My sister celebrates her birthday this next week. She will be turning ??. (Wink Wink). Let’s just say she is my older sister. Sheryl and I have lived in the Philadelphia area for over 20 years. Through these years, we have become close friends … best friends. And as I think as siblings who are best friends, no one knows me better. She knows me better than most of my closest and oldest friends. We are in constant contact, at least once a day, finding out how the day is going, what’s happening, what’s new and exciting, etc.
My brother Adam is just as close with Sheryl and I. It is a rare and wonderful thing that siblings can remain this close as they get older and develop their own lives. And believe me, we do not take this lightly. Our vacations each year invariably involve family. That is how we like it. That is what we have always known and wanted. My parents, Robert and Abby, instilled this strong sense of family in us as we grew up.
I think we became that much closer when Mom passed away. We all realized that our main link to each other, the matriarch of our family, was gone. She had been the one to call and remind all of us about birthdays, anniversaries, and ask rather demandingly, “Have you called your sister/brother lately???” Now it is up to us to keeps these familial bonds close and tight. And we do.
Not a day goes by where I do not talk to my sister or my brother. One of us talks to the other and passes info onto the next. If we don’t talk, email, or text, a red flag goes up and we get in touch with the other sibling to see if they talked to he or she. Confusing? Maybe, but not for us, we have it down to a science. Many of our friends are amazed that we keep in touch as often as we do and are as close as we are. I honestly have never thought to have it any other way. What I do realize now, though, is how truly lucky and blessed I am to be this close with my brother and sister. Mom was proud of this fact, that she created and instilled such strong family bonds in her children. I like to think that she is smiling down on us from Heaven, beaming at how close we have become.
My brother Adam is just as close with Sheryl and I. It is a rare and wonderful thing that siblings can remain this close as they get older and develop their own lives. And believe me, we do not take this lightly. Our vacations each year invariably involve family. That is how we like it. That is what we have always known and wanted. My parents, Robert and Abby, instilled this strong sense of family in us as we grew up.
I think we became that much closer when Mom passed away. We all realized that our main link to each other, the matriarch of our family, was gone. She had been the one to call and remind all of us about birthdays, anniversaries, and ask rather demandingly, “Have you called your sister/brother lately???” Now it is up to us to keeps these familial bonds close and tight. And we do.
Not a day goes by where I do not talk to my sister or my brother. One of us talks to the other and passes info onto the next. If we don’t talk, email, or text, a red flag goes up and we get in touch with the other sibling to see if they talked to he or she. Confusing? Maybe, but not for us, we have it down to a science. Many of our friends are amazed that we keep in touch as often as we do and are as close as we are. I honestly have never thought to have it any other way. What I do realize now, though, is how truly lucky and blessed I am to be this close with my brother and sister. Mom was proud of this fact, that she created and instilled such strong family bonds in her children. I like to think that she is smiling down on us from Heaven, beaming at how close we have become.
What can I say......I'm "kvelling." I love you little brother.....thank you for this wonderful testimony to our sibling revelry.....hugs, your sister
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to read your heartfelt comments about your family. You are fortunate to have such a close relationship with them!
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