Friday, November 6, 2020

2020 - Gratitude Day #6 - The Sisterhood

 Gratitude Day #6 - The Sisterhood

Today I am grateful for my three sisters.

They don't let me get away with anything. Anything at all.

Though they were nearly grown when I was born, our years have caught up the age gap between us. Kerry asked me once what it was like to have had four mothers. I told him I've never known anything different.

Two of my sisters were born in eastern Kentucky, and the one closest in age to me was born in West Virginia. All of them have told me of the extreme poverty they lived in, and they have all expressed their gratitude at my parents who made their lives as good as they possibly could. Not easy. But, good.

Fern is my oldest sister. She was in Nursing School when I was born. When mom went into labor they sent word to her, and she was present at my birth. Actually, she was the one who held me first, for mom was still under ether. She worked as a Registered Nurse her entire life. She and her husband built there dream home on Catawba Island in Lake Erie.

Jean was also in Nursing School when I was born, but not in our town. She lives in the same town here where I live. She was the one I called the most when I was raising my own family. She lives on a large farm in a house that was built in the mid-1800s. Lots of family dinners were enjoyed there.

Betty was age 16 when I was born. She used her nickel to call the hospital to see what mom had. Then, she joined her friends and kept on swimming at 10:30 pm. She raised her family of two sons and a daughter in Akron. We talk every single day, and laugh at our memories.

Today I am grateful for my three sisters.

They don't let me get away with anything. Anything at all.

Though they were nearly grown when I was born, our years have caught up the age gap between us. Kerry asked me once what it was like to have had four mothers. I told him I've never known anything different.

Two of my sisters were born in eastern Kentucky, and the one closest in age to me was born in West Virginia. All of them have told me of the extreme poverty they lived in, and they have all expressed their gratitude at my parents who made their lives as good as they possibly could. Not easy. But, good.

Fern is my oldest sister. She was in Nursing School when I was born. When mom went into labor they sent word to her, and she was present at my birth. Actually, she was the one who held me first, for mom was still under ether. She worked as a Registered Nurse her entire life. She and her husband built there dream home on Catawba Island in Lake Erie.

Jean was also in Nursing School when I was born, but not in our town. She lives in the same town here where I live. She was the one I called the most when I was raising my own family. She lives on a large farm in a house that was built in the mid-1800s. Lots of family dinners were enjoyed there.

Betty was age 16 when I was born. She used her nickel to call the hospital to see what mom had. Then, she joined her friends and kept on swimming at 10:30 pm. She raised her family of two sons and a daughter in Akron. We talk every single day, and laugh at our memories.

Many of you have read of our genealogy adventures. Sometimes all four of us have made those trips, but it's often Fern and Betty and myself. Jean has just never gotten into genealogy, though she does like the stories. As all of us have aged, I fear those trips have come to an end. However, all it takes is for one of us to mention one thing from a trip, and the memories will come flooding back.

See if it works. Betty...cheese sandwich.

Now, we wait.

All three of my sisters are known for behaving like a lady. You will never anything coarse, or vulgar, or unbecoming in their behavior when you're around them. Class. Pure class. They learned it from Mom.

My sisters are precious to me, and I am fortunate to still have them in my life. I have often wondered why in the world I came into the world so many years after them. 

I don't know. 

But, it has all worked out.








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