Today is March 5, 2012. I'd like to wish my big sister Clarie a happy birthday, and I'll show my respect for her by omitting any revelation concerning age. What is age anyway? If I were to judge by her wisdom, she's about 120. If I were to judge her age by the love in her heart and her zest for life, she'd be less than 10 years old.
She's helped me out my entire life, even back when I didn't want her to as a child. For example, she's the one who taught me in my first ever high school dance as a freshman not to dance with my tongue hanging out. That was valuable advice I've implemented ever since. That same dance she taught me that the senior girls think it's cute when the freshman boys dance instead of stand at the sidelines. Again, advice I put to use immediately and applied to other dances since leaving behind the title of freshman.
I'm sure she could teach me how to fish if I so desired. No one else could. She could teach me how to slalom ski behind a boat, if I were a good pupil. She could teach me how to have fun in any situation and how to find the positive in all things. She could teach me accounting and management and child rearing. She could teach me to train for a 5k run. She could teach me to look glamorous at any given moment. She could probably teach me to be a good son, if I'd listen.
I can't imagine being a part of one of those families where the siblings are estranged. A situation that does, in fact, occur within my grandparents' generation of sibling relationships. There were times I'm sure it would have been much easier to be like Peter and deny me. But, unlike Peter, she always claimed me. I'm not sure I turned out the way she'd hoped or predicted, but she's turned out exactly as I knew she would. She's a caring, loving mother; devoted wife; successful business owner; a charitable and empathetic Christian; a good daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, etc.
Clarie, I love you. You've been a better sister to me than I've been a brother to you. Happy birthday, sis.
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I love you brother ! You are sweet and I wish I could write something as eliquent as you!
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