Reflections

Tomorrow is my little sister's birthday. If you asked me to describe my sister in one word, I would say, "strong." As much as we would've liked to protect the baby of the family, she has had to face some heart-wrenching adversities. Sandra's first baby was full-term stillborn. As a family, we raced to her side to offer comfort. She ultimately comforted us. God blessed her with two more beautiful children, but when the second of those was born, Sandra was separated from her husband. She grew stronger. Strong enough to patiently wait for her husband to work through his battles and seek forgiveness. She forgave.

When Sandra was a child (9 -12) my older sister and I were teenagers and constantly ridiculed her. We were "cool" and she was "stupid." She couldn't WALK through a room--she had to do cartwheels, or sommersaults, which was totally annoying. On long trips from Canada to Oklahoma we would banish her to the front seat, as far away from us as was physically possible in a 4-door sedan. (Deep down she really preferred the arm rest between Mom and Dad--this was before the seat belt laws, of course.) We made fun of her singing along to the radio. Remember "Love Train" Sandra? Mom even had a little heart-to-heart with us one day and warned that we were going to cause her to have an inferiority complex. I prefer to think that we had a part in making her tough....strong.

I don't get to spend much time with my sister any more. She now lives in Michigan. But there is a bond there that only sisters experience. When we do get together, we become giddy schoolgirls again. It's not unusual for us to get an acute case of the giggles for no apparent reason. Once it starts, it's anyone's guess how long it will last. Our husbands simply look at each other and roll their eyes...."here we go again."

God gives us people in our lives that make us better. People we can look up to and say, "I want to be like her some day." Sandra is one of those people. Happy Birthday Little Sis.