You hear a lot of people saying they can't stand to be around their brothers or sisters. Not so for our family. We can't stand to be apart! When we get together it's always a party! Growing up with four sisters and two brothers there was never a dull moment in our house. It was all mother could do to keep a little control from the endless chatter, laughter, singing, music and teasing that went on in that little house on Y Hwy. If you had a nightmare you just woke up your sister and told her all about it. If I got a toothache in the middle of the night my brother would sit up with me till the toothache ointment numbed the pain. If you wanted to scare the bejebbers out of your little sister someone was always there to lend a hand.
Through all this my brothers and sisters have become my best friends. We have seen each other through hard times and celebrated all of the good times. Our childhood memories are intertwined like that of a tapestry. Your siblings were there all through your childhood. The pranks my brother pulled on my older sister were priceless,like the time Momma told Patti to put the cat out that went under the bed. My brother a few minutes earlier had put on my mothers fake fur coat and crawled under the bed. My mother was in on this one as she told Patti to put the cat out from under the bed. The lights were down low and I can still see Patti reaching under that bed calling out "here kitty kitty" till she felt the fur and assumed it was the kitty till the "kitty" began pulling HER under the bed. You should have heard the screams! Priceless! My sides hurt from laughing as my brother crawled out. Man she was mad!
Like all other siblings we fought, bickered and tried to boss each other. This always resulted in someone screaming out "You're not my Mother!" Or the ever popular name calling that ended with, "I know you are but what am I?" You could fight like cats and dogs with your siblings but let some other kid hit your sister and you were all over them! You always stuck up for your siblings. I once socked a much bigger girl then me right in the nose for putting pepper on my sisters ice cream cone. I learned quickly who to start a fight with based on size.
Now take all those relationships between seven siblings and double that with brother in-laws and sister in-laws! Now you really have a party! This past week end we had the chance to throw caution to the wind and pack up four of our siblings and mates to spend the weekend at my sister Patti's little house in Springfield. We all drove separately up there with Larry and I taking the scenic route on old 66. If you ever get the chance to do that I would highly recommend this trip. You can see so much more landscape and Missouri's beauty then hitting the over packed interstate.
Larry and I got to Patti's first, followed closely behind by Bev and her husband Rob. Last and always last was my brother Mike and his wife Lizabeth. Lizabeth is known by our family as the "Good Will Ambassador". At all our get togethers she walks everyone out to their car when they are leaving, gives them all a hug goodbye and stands there and waves as they drive out of sight. She never takes sides and always gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. She has also been called Pollyanna.
With all our marriages combined we have over 123 years of wedded bliss. Through all these years my brother in-laws and sister in-laws have become my brothers and sisters. They are my siblings. We fight, argue and laugh together. We also know how to push each other's buttons. This past weekend was no different as we teased each other and laughed like crazy. As all the females found comfortable rocking chairs and got caught up on all what was going on in each others lives, all the men checked out the latest video games in the computer room. Over two buckets of KFC we laughed and talked about everything under the sun. When we are all together we laugh. We laugh till our sides ache and our voices get hoarse. We love just being together. We are closer then friends, we're family.
Our family became even closer when our oldest brother lost his battle with cancer. He was our mentor, our big brother. We measured our success by his success and when he died we closed our ranks. We tell each other we love them. We show each other all the time how much they mean to us. Even though we drove poor Momma crazy with our endless laughter, I always think that Momma must have been happy knowing her children were so close to each other and got along. Your siblings are the ones that have seen you in your highs and lows. They have been there when you have failed and succeeded, lost and won. If you're lucky enough to have a family like mine you know that you're never alone. Someone is just a phone call away. Someone is there to make an ant hill out of your mountain. That's what siblings do for each other. So if you have five brothers and sisters or just one, cherish that relationship because there's no other like it. They know your fears, faults and dreams, they are your siblings, and only you know who Mom loved more......... make some time to spend with your siblings for no one knows you better....Aunt Onie
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