Happy Birthday to my Baby Sister

I can still remember the day in 1971 when I met my “baby sister” for the first time. At 5 years old, I was already a big sister to my 3 year old brother, but I knew this was different. This was another girl – my sister. I fell in love with her instantly and even had the privilege of helping to name her “Marcia Lynn” (pronounced “Mar-see-uh,” not “Marsha”).

I have many memories of her as a baby, and then (as if she aged overnight), my next and most vivid memories are when she was 4 and I was 9, when we began sharing a room. One of our favorite things was to get up in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep. Some nights, we would very quietly tip-toe into the kitchen for a snack. Other nights, we’d just stay in our room and color or play with our dolls. Eventually, we'd get tired, climb into bed and go back to sleep. We giggled and called it "our secret!" That went on for several years and we never once got caught! = )

As time went on, she grew into quite a fun girl. An interesting mix of tom-boy, gymnast, drama queen and “mother hen” to many of the kids in our neighborhood, she was also often my shadow. This wasn’t a problem until middle school, when I became the drama queen and begged my Mom, “Could you please make her stop following me!?” I had my own room by now and desperately wanted my own space away from her! For the next few years, we seemed to drive each other crazy.

Somewhere around my senior year of high school, that started to change. By this time, she was in middle school, which meant we were both part of the same youth group. Suddenly our interests didn’t seem quite so far apart anymore. We started sharing clothes; doing each other’s hair and makeup, listening to music together and before too long, we were inseparable. I remained at home for one more year after my graduation and watched as she began to transform into a lovely, talented, spirited, funny and very popular young lady. I distinctly remember the hardest part of leaving home was being away from her.

All these years and many life experiences later, we’re still very close. I can’t imagine my life without her. She’s a wonderful wife, a terrific mom to 5 great and Godly kids, a ton of fun, and undoubtedly the best sister I could ever ask for. I celebrate and honor her today!