A Sisterly Celebration

My sister Cathy has filled my thoughts today.  Not because anything is wrong, but because tomorrow, August 10 is her birthday and it's the big 6-0! I can't believe it - 60!  How did that happen?  How did she age when I haven't? Of course, turning 60 is cause for celebration, but it's also cause for some great memories!

Cathy is the eldest of the siblings.  She is followed closely by our brother Don (Donnie to us) then I'm next, in that dreaded middle position and I'm followed by a younger brother Jeff. We've always been a close group, which is amazing since our personalities are so very different. By profession, Cathy is an elementary school teacher of 34 years;  Donnie is a minister; I'm in direct sales and Jeff is a Funeral Director.  Over the years, despite our professions, we have all assumed a particular role within the family and we consider them our "jobs". 

Cathy is head worrier. When something is bothering us, we call the head worrier, tell her what's bothering us and let her stew about it.  She would worry anyway, so why should we use our energy? Let her feel good about taking over a burden!  Donnie is in charge of all things spiritual and we count on him to be our direct line to the Big Man upstairs in times of crisis. He's mighty good at his job.  I'm the lecturer - it's my job to lecture any one of the other three when they are out of line or doing something really stupid. I take my job seriously.  And Jeff is in charge of transportation - he earned that role by driving the hearse or limo in his line of work, owning a Studabaker, a motorcyle, a truck - you get the picture.  All in all it works out pretty well and we respect the lines of each other's duties. It's all about delegating!

Now, Cathy and I honestly didn't get along as children, and it's entirely her fault. We shared a bedroom as children and she had this annoying habit of always wanting to clean it up and keep things tidy.  I'm a total clutter bum, so we didn't exactly see eye to eye on the condition of our living quarters. She was sort of a prissy girl and I was a tomboy.  I tried to see things her way, but she just couldn't understand my perspective.  I've never gotten over the year she screamed and ran from the room when I gave her a frog for her birthday! Scared the poor frog out of his wits and made me dump sand from his bowl all over the floor! Thankfully, the sand was on her side of the room, so she had to clean it up. Hey, rules are rules - no gimmes for birthdays!

As we got older, I really thought our relationhip would improve.  We built a new home and Cathy and I had separate bedrooms - sorry boys, girls need their space!  So, I'm thinking, this is going to be ok - she's a teenager now, surely she'll stop being such a goody-goody!  Wrong!  It just got worse.  She had the nerve to do her homework every night and if her curfew was 11:00, she was in by 10 of!  Geez, what's up with that?  She never once climbed out a bedroom window onto the garage roof and jumped to the ground to sneak out and meet a boy.  Oh no, she always told Mom and Dad when she was going out!  Honestly, it's her fault my poor mother nearly had a stroke when I would do creative things like that.  She was so used to Cathy's straight arrow behavior that she thought I was the one out of line. Unbelievable!

Finally, Cathy goes off to college - one close to home, so she didn't have to live in a dorm. (Figures) But finally, finally she did something that I could hold over her head for years!! She joined a sorority and as they were decorating for homecoming, they were enjoying "big girl beverages" ... many "big girl beverages" - sloe gin fizz to be exact.  Well, my parents decided they wanted to go to campus and check out the decorations.  When we arrived, we couldn't find Cathy.  We found her sorority, but not her.  Her sorority sisters were giggling and acting a bit weird and standing awkwardly in front of one particular structure.  Mom and Dad decided to look further down the sidewalk for their perfect child, but as we all passed the structure I heard a giggle and snort that sounded oddly familiar.  Mom and Dad went on and I peaked inside the structure.  There was Cathy - blottooed!  Gigglng her brains out, hiding and begging me to get Mom and Dad off campus.  FINALLY, she wasn't so perfect, she wasn't doing what she was supposed to do, she actually did something that wouldn't gain total approval!  I loved it!

Mom and Dad never did learn of her escapade and I kept her secret like a loving sister should, but boy did it pay off over the years.  Honestly, I think it was in that moment, when we held a secret that our relationship really began to bloom.  I looked at her differently from then on.  It wasn't worship, it was just a realization of what a great sister I have!

Throughout the years she has always been there for me, not becuase of the secret or because she had to be, but because she wanted to be.  When I was going crazy with a toddler and brand new baby and the baby wouldn't stop crying, she was the one who came and held him while I brushed my teeth! When Donnie hit a steam shovel with her car, she was the one to tell him it would be OK.  When Jeff wrecked a swivel rocking chair by spinning it so hard it popped off its base, she was the one to take the blame and the punishment.  It's just what she did.  She protected us when we didn't know we needed protecting and she made things right for us, whenever she could.

She's a pretty amazing woman, my sister.  34 years in a classroom? She deserves a medal for that alone.  Today she is still married to the same man who swept her off her feet back in those college days.  She has a daughter and two grandsons who are the light of her life.  She's in the choir at church, substitutes as the pianist when called upon and plays the bells and chimes on special occasions.  She doesn't ask for anything in return, she simply does what needs to be done.  And she's the best darn worrier on the planet!

So, tomorrow I will celebrate her 60th birthday here in Ohio as she celebrates out in Kansas.  I'll know it's time to celebrate when I see that glow on the western horizon that tells me all the candles have been lit! I love you Cathy - now plug your ears cause I'm gonna sing:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR CATHY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! Here's a hug across the miles!