In each of us.... She is there

My mother told me frequently (mostly when I was angry with any of my 9 siblings) that she had given me the GREATEST gift. 

I, true to child form, would roll my eyes and mouth the words as she said them.  “I have given you a lot of brothers and sisters.  One day you will know that they are your greatest gift”

She was so very, very right.  My siblings are priceless, irreplaceable, unique.  They are the people with whom I share tendencies, memories, tastes and distastes.  With these people, I can reminisce, anticipate, and even quote verbatim random bits of our history. 


I was once told that it was irresponsible for parents to have more children than they could support.  All I could think during that conversation was “My parents would have only had two children”. Instead, they had 10 of us.  As they did this, they worked their fingers to the bone, making sure we had enough to survive on  - even if was grits and eggs, Pb&j, and soup from home canned veggies for an entire year. 

I can never thank them enough for giving me 9 of my favorite people in the whole world. 

14 years ago, our mother found out she had cancer in the linings of her lungs.  I assured myself that she would be fine, that our combined faith could keep her with us.  I was wrong.  Whatever work she was needed for in Heaven must have been very important.  She died 4 months later.  

All of us were affected in different ways, but for my 3 sisters and I, there was a large, jagged, gaping hole.  For she was one of us.  We girls would sit up late and talk and giggle.  We would get “tickled” or “slap happy” and laugh until tears ran down our faces with mom.  We were not sure how to continue that without her. 

I have absolutely no memory of how we first decided to have a Sisters Night Out.  It was shortly after Mom’s death.  We got a hotel at a random Park City, UT hotel, left or hubbies and our babies and went.  We sat in the room and talked, we sat in the hot tub and talked, we swam in the pool and laughed, we stayed up late and got “tickled” until tears ran down our cheeks.  We shopped in Park City and thoroughly enjoyed being together. 


And somehow, in that room, with the three of us, she was there.  The best parts of our mother were there  - inside of all of us. 

And through the years, our brothers  have brought us additional gifts.  Sisters in Law!  These girls may well have felt as if they were walking straight in to the Lion’s Den, when we invited them to join us.  Each year, most of us have been able to come to at least a part of Sisters night out. 



One year, Val and his family even drove out from Kentucky to let Jeannie spend sister time with us.  We ended up having Val with us for part of the time too, and had to dub him an honorary sister – we saw him so infrequently, it was painful to NOT visit with him too!!!

One year, we decided to return the favor and TAKE Sisters night to Kentucky.  We stayed in a hotel there and hit KY yard sales for fun.  Besides the port – a – potty that one sister bought (which housed an unpleasant surprise way down deep), it was an entirely pleasant experience!

One year, MANY of us had babies who ranged in age from 6 months to only a few weeks.  We stayed at al VERY local hotel, had massages, and enlisted our husband’s help in trading off nursing babies for free time. 



There have been pregnancies (including one triplet AND one twin), babies along for shopping trips and shushing in the middle of the night.  There was even a year of one older baby throwing up spaghetti o’s into an aunt’s surprised mouth!!!!!

And ever year, no matter how many of the sisters, now matter the length of time they are able to stay, no matter if we are just talking in an elevator (and forgetting to push any of the buttons), Every year She is there.  She is in the laughter.  She is in the voices.  She is lazily swimming across the pool, listening to her girls make crazy dolphin sounds at each other.  She is the one beam of sunlight streaming through the upper window – as two sisters vie for the warmth, faces upturned.  She is the calm behind the words that come when one sister speaks of a hard time, and another has the privilege to comfort. 

My mother did, indeed, give me the best gift.