I have two older brothers who are 10 and 8 years older than me. Yes, I was a surprise. A pleasant surprise, I like to suppose. We were brought up in different "batches" so my brothers and I were not so close growing up. Of course they still found plenty of opportunitues to pester me and torture me like every good older brother should, but in general, I was more of an occassional afterthought in their busy teenage lives.
Our personalities are so very different from each other: there's the laidback one, the uptight one, and then me, the happy, practically-perfect-in-every-way sibling, who is a nice balance of both extremes ;-)
Most of my life I have been "the baby", but I found out that once you grow up and become an adult, you are automatically accepted into the "adult club" (why does that sound naughty?), where longevity makes very little difference. It's like once you have tasted the complexity of adult life and once you have been let in on the secret that most of the fun is over, you are allowed to be equal friends with all those people who just a few months ago still made you feel like a toddler in diapers. Now they may even care about your opinion.
I think that's what happened with my brothers and me, and although sometimes I still feel like an outsider because I'm the only girl, we are all pretty much in the same boat right now, so we can share the ride and talk about the experience. The problem is that with me in the States, one brother in the UK and the other one in Chile, sharing and talking doesn't always come easy and the link between us tends to fade a little.
But right now circumstances are different. The woman that brought us into this world and made us siblings in the first place is getting ready to leave now. Yes. Mom is sick. Mom is so sick.
Once she leaves, the world as I knew it will change forever, coming home will never be the same again, and I know I will feel adrift and lonely. So now more than ever I feel such a profound love for my brothers. Mushy? Yes, I surprise myself constantly. But that is the truth, I feel a strong pull towards them as I sense that they are the ones who will save me from getting too lost or too sad, who will remind me of my roots, of all the good things our mom taught us, and how lucky we have been to have her.
I admire them too. They are great dads, hard workers, fun loving, good-to-the-bone men that I know I could count on at the drop of a hat.
The images that my mind holds of them right now are of one gently caressing mom's hair as he tells her to think beautiful thoughts so she can fall asleep.The other one singing Beatles songs to me as he drives me to the airport, because he knows my heart breaks when I have to leave.
They really are quite wonderful, and I have really been quite lucky.
My mom is the youngest in her family and has 4 sisters and 1 brother. The oldest sister and the brother passed away a long time ago, so for many years it has been about the 4 younger sisters, who have loved each other inmensely and have stuck together through thick and thin.
These days that I have been able to spend at my mom's side I have witnessed the love between my mom and my aunts. I have witnessed sibling love in all it's glory and have learned that it is a marvelous thing when going through a rough spot.
When my mom is not feeling well, all it takes is for one of the sisters to comfort her and cheer her up with but a small gesture for her to light up. The way my aunts express themselves around her and about her exhudes rich, bountiful, everlasting love, care and longing for each other. They really are quite wonderful, they really are quite lucky.
It is a great consolation to think that I will be able to claim these 3 beautiful ladies as my surrogate mothers, guides and protectors.
Brotherly love, sisterly love.
I am raising 4 girls and it is my great hope that they will always feel that love for each other, especially once I am gone. I hope their minds will be filled with images of each other that comfort and inspire them. I hope that they will be able to save each other when they are adrift, or lonely, or fearful. I hope they will long for each other always and keep the link between them strong.
Feelings towards siblings are not always warm and cozy, I know. But I do believe that brothers and sisters are a gift to be treasured at least at some point in our lives. I am treasuring my gifts as I know my mom is treasuring hers.
Brotherly love, sisterly love. How do you treasure yours?
Our personalities are so very different from each other: there's the laidback one, the uptight one, and then me, the happy, practically-perfect-in-every-way sibling, who is a nice balance of both extremes ;-)
Most of my life I have been "the baby", but I found out that once you grow up and become an adult, you are automatically accepted into the "adult club" (why does that sound naughty?), where longevity makes very little difference. It's like once you have tasted the complexity of adult life and once you have been let in on the secret that most of the fun is over, you are allowed to be equal friends with all those people who just a few months ago still made you feel like a toddler in diapers. Now they may even care about your opinion.
I think that's what happened with my brothers and me, and although sometimes I still feel like an outsider because I'm the only girl, we are all pretty much in the same boat right now, so we can share the ride and talk about the experience. The problem is that with me in the States, one brother in the UK and the other one in Chile, sharing and talking doesn't always come easy and the link between us tends to fade a little.
But right now circumstances are different. The woman that brought us into this world and made us siblings in the first place is getting ready to leave now. Yes. Mom is sick. Mom is so sick.
Once she leaves, the world as I knew it will change forever, coming home will never be the same again, and I know I will feel adrift and lonely. So now more than ever I feel such a profound love for my brothers. Mushy? Yes, I surprise myself constantly. But that is the truth, I feel a strong pull towards them as I sense that they are the ones who will save me from getting too lost or too sad, who will remind me of my roots, of all the good things our mom taught us, and how lucky we have been to have her.
I admire them too. They are great dads, hard workers, fun loving, good-to-the-bone men that I know I could count on at the drop of a hat.
The images that my mind holds of them right now are of one gently caressing mom's hair as he tells her to think beautiful thoughts so she can fall asleep.The other one singing Beatles songs to me as he drives me to the airport, because he knows my heart breaks when I have to leave.
They really are quite wonderful, and I have really been quite lucky.
My mom is the youngest in her family and has 4 sisters and 1 brother. The oldest sister and the brother passed away a long time ago, so for many years it has been about the 4 younger sisters, who have loved each other inmensely and have stuck together through thick and thin.
These days that I have been able to spend at my mom's side I have witnessed the love between my mom and my aunts. I have witnessed sibling love in all it's glory and have learned that it is a marvelous thing when going through a rough spot.
When my mom is not feeling well, all it takes is for one of the sisters to comfort her and cheer her up with but a small gesture for her to light up. The way my aunts express themselves around her and about her exhudes rich, bountiful, everlasting love, care and longing for each other. They really are quite wonderful, they really are quite lucky.
It is a great consolation to think that I will be able to claim these 3 beautiful ladies as my surrogate mothers, guides and protectors.
Brotherly love, sisterly love.
I am raising 4 girls and it is my great hope that they will always feel that love for each other, especially once I am gone. I hope their minds will be filled with images of each other that comfort and inspire them. I hope that they will be able to save each other when they are adrift, or lonely, or fearful. I hope they will long for each other always and keep the link between them strong.
Feelings towards siblings are not always warm and cozy, I know. But I do believe that brothers and sisters are a gift to be treasured at least at some point in our lives. I am treasuring my gifts as I know my mom is treasuring hers.
Brotherly love, sisterly love. How do you treasure yours?
