National Sibling Day

I know, I know. I’m a few days late. National Sibling Day is on April 10, but since that is also Emry’s birthday…well, I was a bit busy and had other things to blog first. Not that my siblings aren’t very important to me, but I hope they understand.

It would be interesting to find out how long “National Sibling Day” has been around, but I would venture to say it has been made a bigger deal in these past few years thanks to Facebook. I don’t have Facebook, but Ed does and he showed me all kinds of things people were posting about how much they love their siblings, how grateful they are for them, blah, blah, blah. I don’t think I saw one post that said anything about how much they fought with their siblings, hated them for who knows why and resented them for any number of reasons. Probably yet another example of how fake Facebook typically is.

For in all honesty, I could post both sides of that story. I imagine most people can. For the truth is, our relationships with our siblings are samples of extremes. I would do almost anything for my siblings…and yet my siblings have also caused the greatest hurts of my life. Doubtless, they could say the same about me.

Why is that? It’s because we’re sinners. We love and we hate. We cheer and we resent. We uplift and we pull down. All within mere seconds. And just as we love, cheer and uplift those we are closest to, so we tend to hate, resent and pull down those we are closest to. Oh, the sinfulness of mankind. How wretched it is.

But I certainly don’t want to celebrate National Sibling Day remembering all the hurts my siblings have caused me…or all the pain I am sorry I have caused them. For I love my siblings. I truly do. And my life is so much more with them in it. I am so much more. I would be a totally different person if I had been an only child. A totally different person if I hadn’t had Katey to grow up with, Daniel to bicker with, Sally to compete with, Grace to journey with, Jenny to laugh with, Abby to tease, Caleb to enjoy or even Christine to die. So many moments to remember. So many joys and trials so share. And, hopefully, many more to come.

I want my siblings to know that I do love them. I miss them terribly now that I have a family of my own and I realize how little Emry may know her wonderful aunts and uncles she is so blessed to have. I wish she could know and enjoy each of you as I have. But most of all, I apologize that I have not been the best biggest sister I could be. No one really teaches you how to be the oldest and there are so many things I wish I could do over again. But I thank you, Katey and Daniel and Sally and Grace and Jenny and Abby and Caleb for being my siblings – not that you had a choice! But I’m glad God did.

The quiver is full – Daniel, Melissa, Katey, Grace, Sally, Jenny, Abby and Caleb.

June 1995