My little Sister

My sister, Sarah, just turned fourteen. I can hardly believe how fast time has passed! I remember helping mom with Sarah when she was a baby. I was still at the age when I loved playing with baby dolls, and now I had a real baby to play with! I did everything for mom and I loved it! I changed diapers, mixed formula, fed her a bottle, played with her, put her to sleep...I always say I practically raised Sarah because I did everything! Now my sister has grown into an amazing young lady. I never expected to become best friends with my little sister at such a young age. She is far more mature than I was at her age! Of course, that’s because she has such a great older sister to look up to! haha She could actually teach me a thing or two. Sarah has a beautiful personality. She makes friends instantly wherever she goes. She has a passionate love for all animals – big and small. She has a rough and tumble side, and a sweet and girly side. She can rock some cowboy boots while she’s riding her horse, and she can work some high heels, all dressed up going to church. Her random humor and silly side are a refreshing relief from my “grown-up” responsibilities.

More than just her friendly personality and versatile style, my sister has a gentle spirit and genuine heart for the Lord. Her heart is always in the right place. Unlike me, Sarah is always thinking about opportunities to be a witness. I often forget about taking a chance to witness to someone, but Sarah’s example proves that the Lord truly lives in her. One example of Sarah's witness would be one time when we were getting our nails done together. Sarah surprised me when I overheard her conversation with the man doing her nails. The people at the nail places are always foreign and very difficult to understand. Most of the time, I’m not in a chatty mood so, I don’t bother even trying to start a conversation and usually discourage it when they do. But Sarah saw an opportunity to be a witness and took it! I overheard her asking the man doing her nails if he went to church anywhere. I don’t think he understood and she had to ask a couple of times, but that didn’t deter her. She proceeded to tell him where she went to church. I immediately began to feel guilty. I’ve gotten my nails done so many times over the years, and not once had it ever occurred to me to ask the person if or where they went to church or anything along those lines. I knew right then and there that the Lord has a special plan for my sister. Of course, He has a special plan for everyone, but I believe Sarah will do great things for the Lord because of her confidence in Him and her heart for others. I’d like to be able to say that I teach my sister new things every day; the truth is I could learn a lot just by watching her.  I remember the day Sarah came into this world. Little did I know then, that God not only sent me a sister, but a best friend. I don’t know what I would do without her. I love her more than anything in the world and I hope and pray every day that I can set an example for her that the Lord would be proud of.

My Big Brother

Until I was eight years old, it was just Joseph and me. We were home schooled for some of that time, so we were all each other had. We usually did a lot of arguing, as can be expected, but we always had fun growing up together. We played cowboys and Indians in the woods for hours. One time, we took the paddle my dad made to spank us with and threw it on top of my Uncle Seth’s barn. We thought that would be it for the spankings. Dad just made a bigger paddle. My brother taught me how to play football. We were always outside doing something.

We’ve survived two falls that resulted in hospital visits. When Joseph was about six and I was four, we were climbing our favorite tree when Joseph fell. He fell a good ways and it knocked him unconscious. I was still up in the tree and looked down and hollered, “Jose? Jose?” and then looked up to the kitchen window, where mom was washing dishes, and hollered, “Mom!” Mom ran outside in a panic. According to mom, I was leaning over Joseph asking if he was dead. I’m sure that didn’t help keep mom from going into panic mode. Joseph ended up being fine, but we had mom scared to death! Another time, when I was five, Joseph and I were playing on the bunk bed when we were supposed to be asleep. I was hanging off the top bunk and Joseph had my hands as if we were Mufassa and Scar on “The Lion King.” Very dramatically, he said, “long live the king!” and threw my hands off the bed. I fell and split my head open on the door knob. Being the blond that I am, I didn’t bother to hold on, but willingly fell off the bed. I still have a scar on my forehead where I got seven stitches that night. It makes for a funny story though!

My brother taught me how to be tough. He never did anything for me, but expected me to keep up with him. If we were playing football, he never took it easy on me. He showed me respect without treating me like a baby. Growing up, in all our pictures and home videos, Joseph is always squeezing my hand or arm. Whether or not you can see it, he has that clenched grin pasted on his face. I like to think that he just loved me so much he couldn’t control it! Joseph has a great sense of humor. He always has a funny story to tell and keeps us laughing. He is tough and strong, and might appear a bit on the rough side, but he is humble and has a good heart.

Over the years my brother and I have grown apart, as do most brothers and sisters I am sure, but I know that he’s still there for me. There is a special bond that only a brother and sister share. It’s a loyalty and a pride. It’s an understood commitment.  And I know that no matter where life takes us, we’ll always be there for each other.