2007-11-06

My sister

My sister has at various times in my life, driven my crazy, been my shoulder to cry on, fed me worms, tried to mother me, led me astray, gotten me into trouble, gotten me out of trouble, exposed my secrets, kept my secrets. In short she has been my sister.

She is 21 months older than I am. I was mom's largest baby (9 lbs - 22" long or something), so, by the time I was walking, I was pretty much the same size as Sis. Mom made a lot of our clothes and to be cost effective, they were made from the same bolt of cloth and the same pattern, or sometimes we would get different colours of the same material. We were both blonde, with ringlets that mom would have painstakingly formed into our freshly washed hair. In short, people sometimes thought we were twins.

An aside about the ringlets: We used to sit on the floor in front of mom and she would comb the hair around her fingers to form them. I remember one time mom was putting them into my hair and they weren't working. She was getting frustrated so she turned my head around to see my face and said "well that explains it" turned my head back and re-did the curls with no problem. It turns out that my hair curls one way and sisters the other. Sis is a Southpaw, but I don't know if there is any correlation between the two things.

Well, I started to go dark long before she did and that put an end to the twin theory - mostly.

We did a lot of things together, we were both very shy kids and while sis was eager (well, it seemed that way to me) to go to dance and belong to Jobies etc, I had to be coaxed/dragged into these things. I am still not a joiner in spite of all that. We were in choirs and Scottish dance and ballet together to name a few.

She taught me how to tie my shoes! Mom & dad had tried and it wouldn't take, after sis taught me, mom said that now I tie them like a southpaw! She also taught me how to smoke - too bad she can't teach me how to quit now.

We've had fights, but, they never last longer than a few hours, we are not the type of people that can stay mad, or can not talk to someone for days. Well, that part, now that we no longer live in the same city, but as we can't stay mad, it doesn't matter that we are not talking because we are not talking because it is expensive to call long distance. Clear as mud eh?

I can honestly say that if it weren't for my sister, I would not be here to post a blog about anything let alone about her. Throughout my cancer, she helped financially as well as physically & emotionally and for that I will ever be grateful.

That doesn't mean that we won't still fight and piss each other off and yell and call names and all those things sisters do, but hey, what are sisters for if not for those things?

Damn, I can't find the picture I wanted to use, oh well probably for the best, she would have killed me.

Good Afternoon all!

p.s. she is the Bag Lady, for those that don't know



12 comments:

Leah J. Utas said...

Touching post, Reb. Well done.

Leah J. Utas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leah J. Utas said...

Double-posted. Sorry for the itchy trigger finger.

the Bag Lady said...

Well, now. Gosh.
Glad you couldn't find the picture you wanted to use, unless it was one older than 20 years ago!! I've got several I could post of you, you know...(just a little blackmail to keep you in line!)
Thanks, Reb - that was very sweet. *wiping tear from eye*

the Bag Lady said...

Oh, and about those worms? I don't remember that, but I do remember the time you got your tongue stuck on the frozen doorknob...that was such a damned shame!

Reb said...

Thanks Leah, glad you liked it.

Sis, after I've already posted bald pics? How much blackmail...oh never mind.

I fogod abou the frozen door handle!
The things big sisters make you do!

The worm, bug, whatever was when we were still in Edmonton in the row houses

Hilary said...

Awww how sweet. (sniff!)

My sister made me eat a worm too once... so they tell me. I don't remember it myself so it couldn't have been all that traumatic. But a frozen door knob.. thumbody wath a twicksthur!

SOMEBODY post a picture.. inquiring minds and all that.

Reb said...

Thanks Hilary, yeah sisters, can't live with 'em... but are really glad sometimes that you have them.

Anonymous said...

She made you eat worms?

Wow, as an older sister, I never thought of that one!

That was a really sweet post--glad you two are so close!

(And I'd love to see one of the early twinsie photos, that would be cool!)

the Bag Lady said...

Crabby - twinsie photo coming up. Check the Bag Lady's blog.

Reb said...

Thanks Crabby, yes, she made me do all sorts of things. I suppose you could try the worm thing now,but it may not work.

Virginia Lee said...

Okay, I'm a bit teary.

Yay! Reb and The Bag Lady are sisters! Yay!

I'm gonna go hug my mama now.