Today is one of my sisters' birthday. I am the youngest and Janie is the next older than me. As kids, I was the one always wanting to tag along with her and do what she was doing just like most little sisters. As far back as I can remember though, we were as different as night and day. Her hair was dark, mine was blond. She was neat, I was messy - and we shared a room! She was a "go by the rules" kind of girl, I was a rebel.
My hair is a little darker now and I'm a little neater (I think she might be a little messier...shhh! don't tell). We still look at all kinds of things very differently though. I would love to know how that happens when we were raised by the same two wonderful parents? Just the way God wired each of us I guess.
Regardless of all the arguments over the years about politics, labor, and dishes, I love her and her family dearly. So for her birthday, I wanted two share a couple of memories from when we were young.
Every Christmas Eve when I was little, just before bedtime, Janie would sit me on her lap and remind me that "in the morning when you wake up, wake me up first and then we'll go out to the living room together." It was a given that I'd wake up first. I don"t know if this little ritual started because she wanted to be sure we shared all of Christmas morning< because she wanted to be sure i didn't get to the presents first, or if Mom prompted this so they could get the official bleary-eyed, surprised picture of both of us together. Regardless, it was so much a part of Christmas to me that the last year we both lived at home (I was 17 & she was 22) I wanted to reenact it. Being a good sister, she indulged me.
I also remember getting to have my first official boy/girl birthday party. I was so excited and felt so grown up and was so scared no one would show up or no one would have fun. Mom told me Janie was going to take care of decorating for the party. I wasn't allowed downstairs all day! Finally, shortly before my guest arrived, they let me see what she had been doing all day. It was sooooo cool, the coolest. There were pink and purple little footprints cut out and placed down the stairway wall. There were more everywhere downstairs and there were streamers and even a big, hot pink shag rug in a footprint shape (ya, I know, I'm giving my age away). Her stereo was downstairs and her records (we didn't share those or shoes-hardly ever) so we could dance. The party went well. I remember people at school talking later about the "groovy" decorations and thinking I had the best sister ever.
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