MY SISTER, MY FRIEND

I was raised a middle child. With that came many of the labels normally assigned to middle children. I epitomized most of these terms. I have an older sister and a younger brother. For many years, I felt invisible. My sister and I had a rocky relationship for years. We didn’t understand each other, we never got along well as kids. A 18 hour car ride changed that for me though. It was as if overnight, she became my sister for real. She was there at the hospital when my children were born. When our budget was tight at home, she surprised me with cute clothes and pajamas for a weekend trip I was taking. She bought me meals at restaurants, gifts for no reason, and endless toys for my children. But the things my sister has done for me surpass anything financial. She believes in me. She might not understand me, but she believes in me. She honors me and trusts me. She allows me into her home just to cry when I have no other place to go. She watches my kids so that I can enjoy a night alone with my husband. She cleans my house if I get in a bind. She even cooks chicken for me when morning sickness takes over and I can’t bare to look at a raw chicken breast. My sister is truly my friend. Not the kind of friend you have to be because your sisters, but deep down my friend. I know that I can never repay her for all that she’s done for me. She hasn’t kept a tally; she doesn’t even remember most of the kind things she’s done. She’s my sister and that’s what sisters do. I am so thankful we figured this "sister" stuff out before we missed another day without each other. I don’t feel invisible anymore. I know my sister sees me.

MAKE A WISH

Sometime in October, John had this great idea to go to Disney World for Christmas. We weren’t going to buy each other gifts (yeah right) and we’d limit the gifts for the kids. We invited my family to come along as well so my parents, Leslie, Craig and his girlfriend Carrie all came too! At some point in our trip, Carrie noticed a child wearing a “Make a Wish” button. This was a badge showing that he was given this trip by the Make a Wish Foundation. This organization grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. (http://www.wish.org/) Carrie stopped his father and said, “I’m a wish kid too! They sent my family to Disney World when I was a kid” You see Carrie has Cystic Fibrosis. You wouldn’t know it from looking at her. She’s young and vibrant. She’s beautiful and funny. Carrie fights CF daily though. She has medications and treatments that don’t take a vacation when she does. This man stopped and looked at her and said, “Well, you look like you’re doing pretty well!” She went on to explain her condition and all the treatments she’d been through that got her to this point. He just couldn’t stop looking at her. His 4 year old son had been born with Leukemia. It was obvious that his family hadn’t allowed themselves to look past one day at a time. To see Carrie, so full of life, you could see the hope come over him. He turned to her and said, “Would you mind going up those stairs and telling my wife what you just told me. It would mean so much to her to see a “Wish Kid” all grown up.” Carrie just smiled and bounced up the stairs to greet the little boy’s mom. I cannot stop thinking about that moment this sick little boy’s father looked at Carrie and saw a chance for his son. It has made me think long and hard about my own children. I made a wish too when I was much younger. I wished for healthy children, just like we all do. God granted my wish. I don’t know why Carrie has CF, I don’t know why that little boy was born with Lukemia. I don’t know why God doesn’t grant every parent’s wish for healthy children. But I do know why God sent Carrie on this trip to Disney World. She was able to show that man that although his wish for a healthy child might not have been answered yet, his next wish for a wonderful life for his sick little boy has a chance. Carrie is proof that some wishes do come true.

THE ONE

I was 16 years old when I first saw him. Our eyes met and I heard a voice say “He’s THE ONE.” I remember thinking, “He’s the one I’m going to talk to tonight? Or is he the one that is going to embarrass me tonight? No way is he THE ONE. That’s just crazy.” But he was THE ONE. I just knew it. Since the day we met he has been THE ONE. He is THE ONE that laughs at my jokes. When I need someone to believe in me, he is THE ONE. He knows which meals require a small fork vs. a regular fork. He goes through the paper and pulls out the ads and cartoons I might like because he is THE ONE that knows I don’t like to touch newsprint. He is THE ONE that makes me a mug full of ice water at night because he knows I will want it but I won’t realize I want it until I get all tucked in and won’t want to get back up. He’s THE ONE that bathes the kids because he knows I need those 30 minutes all to myself. He is THE ONE that loves the freckles on my skin, and taught me to love them too. He is THE ONE that can go to the mall and come home with an outfit I love and it actually fits. He is THE ONE that loves my red hair. He was THE ONE that held our babies when they were moments old. He is THE ONE that will be with me to watch our children grow. He is THE ONE that loves me. He is the THE ONLY one that I have ever loved. He is THE ONE.

I'M A MOM

I am a mom. I’m not just a mom. I’m a sister, a daughter, a friend, a wife, a writer, and a small business owner. But its funny that the fact that I enjoy writing, doesn’t change the way I parent. Just because I happen to be a sister, doesn’t influence my role as a wife. Being a mom, however, changes everything. I write about mom things, my business will involve children. My relationship with my husband is different now that we are parents. My bond with my mother has strengthened because I am a mom now too. My friends used to be “my” friends. Now my friendships are usually built around the fact that our children play well together or we may carpool to school. My friends are now the parents of my kids’ friends. It funny how two little beings can change who you are. I wasn’t extremely selfish before becoming a mom, but now it takes a major effort to remember “me.” I was always very messy as a kid, now it takes so much energy to keep their stuff and their home orderly. I’m a new woman! I have made sacrifices to be the woman I am. My body has changed. When my husband met me, I had only a few small, silvery stretch marks. Now my belly is covered in these lines of pregnancy. I have lost touch with friends. Women who don’t have children, generally don’t like to be around children. Where I go, the girls go so that creates a problem. I can make time for an occasional girls’ night out but if we are going to see each other regularly, its going to involve kids and most likely be at a place where a teenager is forced to dress like a cartoon animal. I always knew I wanted to be a mom, I just never imagined how it would change me. I think the change is for the good. No one wants to be around a selfish, messy, smooth skinned person anyway, right?