Taffy

I'm a few days late on this post, but hopefully my sister will forgive me. She's been forgiving me for things her whole life (well not so much forgiving as forgetting I suppose), but such is the nature of sibling relationships.

My older-but-you'd-have-to-hang-me-by-my-toenails-and-administer-chinese-water-torture-to-say-she-was-wiser sister celebrated a birthday this weekend. And I celebrated her presence in my life.

We aren't like some sisters - we didn't grow up holding hands and skipping off to school together. We were more the chase-each-other-around-the-house-and-brutalize-to-the-death variety. She typically bested me in a physical fight, but I always had her in a verbal one. We're just not the type to do things the easy way. We had to make the proverbial taffy - push and pull and stretch our relationship as far as it would go, so that when it finally snapped back together again we could truly appreciate it.

And I do appreciate it. I appreciate the way my sister is with my children. She's the "fun" aunt - the one who lets them get away with nearly anything, who thinks they hung the moon (and they're pretty sure she did too).

She's a real person, and she lets you be real around her. She's sensitive, far more than I am, but I can appreciate that in her and she can overlook my tendency to bulldoze.

She's someone who is there. No matter what, I can count on my sister. I can count on her when it matters. I can count on her no matter what quibble we've had - big or just seemingly so. I can count on her for anything I could ever need, at any time. If its in her power to give it to me, I know she would.

She challenges me, and she makes me try harder. She's a good person, and she constantly is working at being better. I'm proud to know her. Without a doubt, she makes life a whole lot more interesting. And without that constant push/pull, I don't think our relationship would be nearly so sweet.

I love you Middystone!