I Am A Sister

I am a sister. I am one of eleven siblings, eight girls and three boys. Of those eleven siblings there are seven of us still living. I am a sister to my brother Leman. Though he is no longer on the earth with us I am still his sister. Leman was the strength in our family, especially after my dad died. He did the stuff we could not do and his children were as close to us as we were to each other. When he died a hole was left in our universe.  I am a sister to my oldest sister Alberta who is twenty years my senior. Alberta has always been someone who I looked up to and adored. When I was young and my daddy died and my mom and my youngest sister had to move and to be near the family she was always there to help, guide, and have fun with. As I grew older and had children we weren't as close, probably because my life has always been a crazy cyclone of an existence, but the love has never waned. I am a sister to my brother Hank. I do not see my brother because he lives in the south but I will always love him. I have memories of him that will never go away even if we don't see each other. Being on the back end of a large family makes a lot of my siblings seem more like favorite aunts and uncles sometimes or at least it used to be that way. As I grow older I feel more like their sister. I am a sister to my sister Ginny. She also is no longer on this earth with us. Some of my memories of her are tinged with aggravation. She and I seemed to rub each other the wrong way which is odd with the years between us. Maybe we were alike and that is why. Still she was no less loved than my other siblings.  I am a sister to my sister Rosie. Oh what a wonderful woman Rosie is though sometimes she doesn't see it. Creative and hardworking and the most nurturing person you can find. She has been through hardships and recently lost my brother in law which made me worry a bit. Still she has raised an amazing family and it has extended with beautiful children. She is surrounded by love so I no longer worry. I am a sister to my brother Charlie. He was taken from us when he and I both were young. Him a young man and me a little girl. It was my first experience with death and it was horrible. Memories are foggy but are of a fun loving man. His death crumpled my dad, that I do remember and I am sure it sped my father's own death along. I am a sister to my sister Barb. The memories my sister Barb and I made together will always reside in my heart. We didn't see eye to eye always but always came back to a closeness that was wonderful. She is not here with us on this earth but she is always in our heart. I am a sister to my sister Sue. My sister Sue like Rosie does not always see her worth but oh what an amazing nurturing woman she is. I wish we lived closer so we could visit without it being a big event with others always there but it has never been that way and I love her anyway. I am a sister to my sister Betty. She is eight years older than me but I have always felt very close to her. She was there when I was growing into a young woman and like Barb she was my go to for those questions I felt uncomfortable asking my mom or my big sister Alberta who was almost like my mom. She can make me laugh and even if she doesn't agree with the way I conduct my life I never doubt her love for me. Last but not least I am a sister to my sister Sandy. We are the closest in age, she is a year younger than me, and all of our growing up we did together. We were toddlers together, teenagers together, and adults together. We have laughed, we have cried and we have worried about life together. We are different and the same all at once. I don't think she knows how amazing she is. She is loved.