i remember when you were born and mom and dad took me to the hospital to learn how to be a big sister. i got to wear scrubs and a face mask and a hair net, i thought that was the bees knees. then when you came home i got a sparkly shirt that said “I’m the Big Sister” it was blue. you got a bear dressed as a clown, i was a bit jealous because, well it was so soft and all i got was a lousy t-shirt…
i know you still have dog and remember coming home from school when ann and john were visiting and when they gave you dog he was instantly attached to you for years to come. i tried to convince you that you should name him cinnamon, you were convinced for about a minute so to this day he is just dog. i cannot however picture dog full of stuffing and not ‘blind’…
i remember when we both were at st. joes and although it wasnt “cool” to be around younger siblings, i still always wanted to know how you were doing and if everything was okay. i admit to laughing when joe gallagher threw you in the leaves at the bus stop, but i always had your back at the norths…
i remember dreading going to highschool but always appreciated the awe that you gave me when you saw either on the basketball court or the softball field…
i remember moving away to college and not even being nervous for myself, but more nervous for you because you were going to start highschool, deep down i knew you would do just fine and of course you did, but for the first time i wouldn’t be there. i admired your strength then…
senior year of college i remember coming home for your pre prom party and watching you in that gorgeous blue dress with the boy whom you had known since kindergarten, get pictures taken, and parents doting on the both of you. the amount of maturity at that moment was overwhelming, my little sister was growing up…
the summer after your senior year of high school and my graduating from college we went to jersey. i remember sharing the guest room at grandmas house. somehow i had convinced you to have the super hard bed that was set up for the nun (thankyou!) and we had a great conversation where you voiced your concerns about college and all that entailed, my simple answer to you was “you will be just fine…” and you know what? you were!
after moving half way across the country and graduating from dayton, you came home. i remember the heart to hearts over lost loves and consoling you that you had made the right decisions.
i remember and am forever grateful for when you painted my toenails after my surgery, i know how much you HATE feet, but after driving at break-neck speeds to help me and i turned out okay, i think painting them was no big deal…
i also remember being slightly envious when you moved to jersey to start your grad program mostly because i admired your strength to follow your dreams, when i wasnt in that place just yet…
i remember sitting on the front step of my new london apartment with you on the phone just after my heart had been broken, you told me everything would be alright…and it was…
for a lifetime of memories, these are just a few, my sister is such and important part of who i am, she is someone (perhaps the only one) who knows me the best. so now the next chapter may be advice on weddings and marriage, because she said YES!!!!!! CONGRATS MARY!!!!
I love you from the bottom of my heart!
Jens World 