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2010/07/23

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li


     You can find a gazillion sister quotes out there! It's not hard, as there is definitely something universal about that sister bond.
     Luckily for me, I, too, have a sister. She is ten years younger than me, and that has given our relationship all kinds of different stages.
     It all began when Lacy Lee was born on October 13th. My little brother and I were excited, not because we had a new sibling, but because our parents decided to bribe us with a new puppy, Mandy, our cockapoo.
     And, even better, Dad took us out to Carl's Jr for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To be quite honest, we didn't really care if our little sister ever came home!
     I was ten, so when she finally did come home, I was excited to have a real live doll in the house! I loved being a little mama, offering to help with everything because it was new and fun.
     So, to start off, I was a caretaker for my little sister. Lots of babysitting days, including when she was the "mascot" cheerleader for my cheer squad, when I was fifteen and she was five!
     As my independence, boys, and all of that really hit, my elementary school-aged little sister was more of a pain. As older siblings go, we mastered our job of teasing, including dubbing the little one Richard Simmons, when she came home with a gawd-awful perm.
     When I was seventeen (almost eighteen), I had a little boy of my own (lots of mothering practice, I suppose), and oh how the tables turned. Now my baby sister was an aunt at the ripe old age of seven! She was a mini-me.
     After marrying a few years later and having another child (again, Lacy is closer in age to my children than I am to her!), my little sister was a regular fixture in my own little family.
     We took her everywhere, and we had her all the time. I guess it helped that my own home was just across the street from my parents' home!
     Once Lacy was in high school, we grew a part. She was busy with her social life, and I with my young family, and our time together was more limited to the obligatory family gatherings of birthdays and holidays.
     Fast forward to us now...I am 39, she will be 29 this October, and we now fit all of those sister quotations!
     In the big picture, I have learned many life lessons from my little sister! I love that we now have a real sister relationship that is more balanced, since age is not an issue anymore. I am no longer a mother figure in her life, but rather a best friend.
     My little sister is my hero. When our grandpa was very ill many years ago, Lacy donated her kidney to him. She has taught me the TRUE meaning of love by her actions.
     My sister, of all my family members, has ALWAYS been there for me for every celebration and disappointment. And, as she has grown older, I have had the opportunity to do the same for her!
     I can't imagine my life without her. I only wish we lived more near one another and could spend time together all the time!
     Now, as she moves into the phase of getting married and starting her own family, I can't wait to be exactly who she was for me...her little helper!