My Sister...My Friend...

Oh, lawdy, folks...

With every trial, comes...

Family.

Good, bad or ugly...

You get what you get, right?

To say that the last few days have been an adventure is an UNDERSTATEMENT...

Not sure how it happened, really, but the four other girls besides myself, and the one boy that God chose (because He has a sense of humor!) to "bless" my mother with have become...

The poster children for dysfunction.

And, people, let me assure you, my siblings do NOT put the "fun" in "dysfunction".

In all fairness, they probably all say that about me, too.

Whatever.

It's my family, so I can say what I want.

You; however, had BETTER NOT say one negative word about ANY of them...

The wrath of God Himself will befall you.

I. am. not. kidding.

WE can kill each other, but YOU, if you know what's good for you, had better NOT even look at one of us with a crossed eye.

I'm so sorry. Have I ever REALLY introduced you to my family?

We'll start with my brother...

Who has the talent to OFFEND anyone. Not so much by what he says (because his words hold ALOT of truth to them), but more by the WAY he says it...

He means no harm, and yet...he DOES harm...

To over-inflated egos.

Yep, my brother has the distinct talent of cutting you to the quick...

And, really doesn't care.

Next, there's my oldest sister...

Who owns my heart.

Don't know if I've ever shared this with anyone, but when I was a baby, my mother was fighting cancer...

Leaving my 14 year-old sister...

Basically, a single mother...

With a baby...

That held on to her hip and called her "Mama".

Today, I call her by her name, but in today's world, when I can't go to my real mother, I turn to my sister...

She has never once let me down.

She carries too many burdens, but to lay them down would mean laying down all she cares about in this world...

I worry because she worries too much.

Third, there's my second-oldest sister, who, to this day, remains an absolute enigma to me...

Seriously.

I can't figure her out.

At times, she the first in line to defend, and at others...

She's the first in line to strike you down with a single blow.

Not sure what's up with that, but I do know she has the ability to make me feel like the least-worthy person on earth...

And, sometimes, she's my biggest champion.

I've just learned to balance on those eggshells that lead to the center of her heart...

And, to not get my feelings hurt if I "fall short".

Now, my middle sister...

People, I don't even know where to go with this one.

She has the inordinate ability to make you absolutely LOATHE her, and yet, when it seems the world turns against her...

You have to rush to defend.

Not because you want to, mind you...

But because you know she doesn't have the sense to do it for herself.

Actually, I can't even come up with more words about this one.

Seriously.

Lastly, we get to my sister I grew up with...

The "Practical One".

I have lived in the shadow of this girl's halo my ENTIRE life...

Two years older than me...

And exempliary student...

Never did wrong...

Yeah, you see where we're going, right?

And, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter...

Sometimes, I just HAVE to talk to her first...

Before I tell anyone else, I HAVE to tell her...

It's the bond we share from growing up together, I think.

She can be perfect, and yet, I KNOW she'll still accept me with all my imperfections, without judging...

Yeah, I LOVE that one.

Put us all in one room and walk into it, and I can promise you one thing...

You are walking into a room filled with more personality that the "normal" human could ever be ready to accept.

Which makes me feel so sorry for those that are charged with the care of our loved ones...

WE are the most easily pacified people you will ever meet...

UNTIL we think you're not treating someone we love like they are someone we love...

That poor hospital never knew what hit them until Hurricane Crane came to town.

Oops. Hate that for them.

Um, just a heads up...

You MIGHT want to pay a little bit closer attention to that little sweet old man in the back corner...

He will agree with anything you say...

His children, on the other hand, will chew you up and spit you out.

I SAID my mother raised children that didn't know how to deal with one another as adults...

I NEVER said my mother raised children that didn't know the value of family.

At the end of the day, even my brother would have to call each of us...my sister...my friend.