Well, I have two older sisters. They were both teenagers when I was born. i don't really remember growing up with them. By the time I was 4-5 they were graduating from high school!! I'm closer in age to their children. I spent much more time with them.
My older sister died of breast cancer in 1999. that was rough, because I was just getting to know her as an adult and she was a dear friend to me. My other sister is a totally different story. She was very mean to my mother when my sister died--no support at all. Then when my mom's health started to really decline my sister was even worse to her!! I always kept my mouth shut because mom wanted some kind of peace, but I vowed to never see her again after mom was gone. So we are estranged. She is very toxic and i won't deal with it.
Of course since I was the baby in the family I was always spoiled. i was a daddy's girl until he died when I was 15. Then my mom and I went through hell. I became very rebellious and for years we were in a battle with one another. When I finally decided to settle down and act right she was right there with open arms. We were blessed with 13 years of a beautiful mother-daughter relationship. She was my soul mate. We could finish each others' sentences. She was so accepting of my love for cats; even though she wasn't a cat-lover. She believed, in many ways, that my cats had saved my life...
I don't have many happy childhood memories. That's just it way it goes, I guess. But I do remember what happened one night that made me think my dad was an angel.
The three of us ( me, dad and mom) were driving home very late from a funeral. i was dozing off and on in the back seat. I remember there was a pick up truck a head of us. I remember hearing my dad curse when he saw someone in this truck throw something out of the window. It landed in a ditch next to the road. My dad slowed down and pulled over to check it out.
It was a dog. it was so badly injured that there was nothing that could be done. My dad wrapped it in a blanket and off to the vet we went. My dad insisted on holding the little fellow during the whole ordeal while the vet put him to sleep. I wasn't allowed to go into the office with him. My mom wanted to keep me from seeing it. When it was all over and my dad came out to us I noticed that his hands were all chewed up!! That dog had bitten him out of fear and pain and my father never flinched. Later that night, as my dad was nursing his wounds, he told me that no matter what I do or where I go in this world I would see people being heartless. But I must never be heartless to an animal because they are so much closer to God than we will ever be.
sorry that wasn't more of a happier story, but it's a special memory I have of my dad that I have never forgotten.
