Showing posts with label sister. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sister. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Sibling Stuff
Yesterday I talked on the phone with my sister, and tonight I chatted with my brother. Hearing their voices buoys my spirits.
I'm the baby of the family, and had anyone divulged to my 7-year-old self that I would adore my older siblings one day, I would have contemplated wedging a ginormous wad of abc green apple bubble gum right up his/her nose, because gum up the snout is a suitable punishment for people who lie to children.
Obviously, I would never have actually performed such a heinous act, because I was an angel. Honest.
At the age of 7 I didn't care much for the pecking order. In retrospect, it turned out to be a good deal having two people who believed protecting me was a directive straight from God. Yeah, I survived the usual torture doled out by older siblings, but it was a small price to pay for the blessings that ran alongside it.
All those childhood arguments and fights and disagreements and rivalries that comprised every day living were stepping stones that gave way to hugs and kisses and laughter and shared tears and grief and memories of things so good that it aches to remember them.
We can't pick our siblings. They are given to us without our input or permission. But if we are very lucky and all the stars align, we get to grow up with our very best friends.
Til next time -
Lisa
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Sisters of Serendipity
ser-en-dip-i-ty: noun
The faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought after.
Some time ago I crowed about "serendipity" with regard to a book I stumbled across at the library. A great read, The Intelligencer by Leslie Silbert brought sheer delight. Well, Easter weekend gifted me with another serendipitous find, this time in the form of a friend.
The weekend promised to be entertaining since my 16-year-old daughter and I road-tripped to Virginia to visit my sister, Sophie, and her family. We blasted our CDs, sang loud, and giggled our way through six hours on the road.
Joining us for the weekend was my brother's beloved Meg, a lady I had yet to meet. I knew she would be something special because she owns my big bro's heart and because our sis said, "She is the berries!", which is Sophie-speak for "super terrific". Due to all of that I expected to like her.
So where does serendipity come in? Well, I went to Virginia expecting to make a new friend. Returning home with a brand new sister-of-the-heart was not even on my short list of things to do, but serendipity bloomed and her name is Meg. (If I'm honest, her name isn't Meg, it's Jerri, but our family is big on nicknames and hers is Meg, so dubbed in reference to something my mama once said.)
Only rarely does the universe bring into our lives a person who fits our contours with seamless ease. Truth be told, were my brother to lose his mind and move to Bora Bora to join a cult of dart-playing turtle worshipers, Meg would still be on my speed dial and Sophie would continue to beg for her sausage gravy and biscuits. We're a new trio, Sophie, Meg and me--sisters of serendipity, unexpected but treasured. I am so looking forward to strengthening this bond of friendship.
Ah, Miss Serendipity...I love it when she drops by!
Til next time,
Lisa
Photos courtesy of stock.xchng.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Gwinnett Medical Center - a Hip Place!
My sister visited this past week and took a misstep on the stairs that resulted in an ER visit and surgery with screws placed for a fractured hip. Recovery won't be a fun time, but she is strong-willed and full of heart, so her success is guaranteed. No worries there. I could go on about that, but I'm hoping that when the meds wear off she'll do her own blog about recovering from hip surgery and you can read it straight from the source. I'll nag her about that.
This post is a serious one about the hospital staff at Gwinnett Medical Center here in gorgeous (and traffic laden) Gwinnett County, Georgia. The staff at this facility has been outstanding, from the ER check-in attendant to the nurses and tech staff. Even the physicians--with the exception of one arrogant cardiologist--have been attentive and forthcoming.
Spending time in a hospital is never pleasant, but a caring, friendly staff certainly eases the emotional burden carried by the patient and family members. In the four days (and counting) that my sis has been laid up and hurting, I have yet to encounter a grouch. Our every request and question has been met with a smile and the follow-through of a timely response.
It has been a long few days with more long days ahead; but thanks to the staff of Gwinnett Medical Center (yeah, yeah, yeah...I sound like a cheesy commercial, but I swear I'm not being paid off) I feel confident that my sister's recovery and transition to home care will be handled efficiently and well. Just knowing that--believing that--relieves a lot of stress.
I don't know what they are putting in the coffee at the employee lounge over there, but it must be some pretty terrific stuff.
Thank you GMC -
Lisa
This post is a serious one about the hospital staff at Gwinnett Medical Center here in gorgeous (and traffic laden) Gwinnett County, Georgia. The staff at this facility has been outstanding, from the ER check-in attendant to the nurses and tech staff. Even the physicians--with the exception of one arrogant cardiologist--have been attentive and forthcoming.
Spending time in a hospital is never pleasant, but a caring, friendly staff certainly eases the emotional burden carried by the patient and family members. In the four days (and counting) that my sis has been laid up and hurting, I have yet to encounter a grouch. Our every request and question has been met with a smile and the follow-through of a timely response.
It has been a long few days with more long days ahead; but thanks to the staff of Gwinnett Medical Center (yeah, yeah, yeah...I sound like a cheesy commercial, but I swear I'm not being paid off) I feel confident that my sister's recovery and transition to home care will be handled efficiently and well. Just knowing that--believing that--relieves a lot of stress.
I don't know what they are putting in the coffee at the employee lounge over there, but it must be some pretty terrific stuff.
Thank you GMC -
Lisa
Friday, July 31, 2009
Forever Young and Fuzzy
Don’t you love how spending time with family brings on a case of the warm fuzzies?
Last weekend we visited my sister and her hubby, as well as two of my nephews and their families. My third nephew and his wife and young ‘uns, as well as my big bro and my nieces, have the audacity to live in Oregon—2,000+ miles away—and their presence was greatly missed.
It was wonderful just to see beloved faces and be able to nab a hug along the way from the kitchen to the outside deck. The drive from here to Virginia is only 6-7 hours, less than a full day on the job; but with work schedules, kid schedules, and working out incidentals such as boarding the dogs, our get-togethers tend to be few and far between which makes them, I suppose, all the more sweet when they occur.
It is always a shock when I see my nephews. I know they are grown with kids and jobs and lives to live, though in the men they have become I see hidden there the little ones who used to beg me to play games or to watch while they performed some acrobatic feat of great daring. While sharing precious time with them, listening to them talk about their lives, I could almost hear Rod Stewart crooning “Forever Young”.
Distance creates the capturing of time, I suppose. As an aunt, my nieces and nephews are caught as children in my mind like butterflies in amber; through my eyes they have aged not at all despite the passing of decades. The older they get the more they will appreciate that, I know. (I received emails last year from a couple of old high school boyfriends—thank you, classmates.com—and I love the idea that in their minds I will always be 17. Quite the time warp, that.)
The thing is, when we don’t see someone for a long time, even after we do, the reality doesn’t usurp the memories of the heart. The past and present are shared, like two images in a looking glass. Illusion, yes; but precious, nonetheless.
Forever young (at heart) –
Lisa
Last weekend we visited my sister and her hubby, as well as two of my nephews and their families. My third nephew and his wife and young ‘uns, as well as my big bro and my nieces, have the audacity to live in Oregon—2,000+ miles away—and their presence was greatly missed.
It was wonderful just to see beloved faces and be able to nab a hug along the way from the kitchen to the outside deck. The drive from here to Virginia is only 6-7 hours, less than a full day on the job; but with work schedules, kid schedules, and working out incidentals such as boarding the dogs, our get-togethers tend to be few and far between which makes them, I suppose, all the more sweet when they occur.
It is always a shock when I see my nephews. I know they are grown with kids and jobs and lives to live, though in the men they have become I see hidden there the little ones who used to beg me to play games or to watch while they performed some acrobatic feat of great daring. While sharing precious time with them, listening to them talk about their lives, I could almost hear Rod Stewart crooning “Forever Young”.
Distance creates the capturing of time, I suppose. As an aunt, my nieces and nephews are caught as children in my mind like butterflies in amber; through my eyes they have aged not at all despite the passing of decades. The older they get the more they will appreciate that, I know. (I received emails last year from a couple of old high school boyfriends—thank you, classmates.com—and I love the idea that in their minds I will always be 17. Quite the time warp, that.)
The thing is, when we don’t see someone for a long time, even after we do, the reality doesn’t usurp the memories of the heart. The past and present are shared, like two images in a looking glass. Illusion, yes; but precious, nonetheless.
Forever young (at heart) –
Lisa
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