Sunday, June 7, 2015

The voice of my sister

The events of this week were a mixture of very good and not so good at all. What made it all turn out okay was the voice of my sister.

Alyx and her husband Virgil live in their motorhome on our property. Alyx works four nights a week so we only see her on the weekends. So it feels like we have our own place during the week and share it on the weekends with them.

The good parts of the week were my usual lunches and coffees with friends - always a favorite thing for me - and my regular Monday afternoon massage. And a mediation which, though difficult, was done with Karen, a talented co-mediator I'd met at a recent training.

The not-so-good parts of the week were sad news from friends of ours, a hiccup in our business, and a misunderstanding with a friend. All three of these happenings were a jolt and threw me off my usual optimistic, upbeat game.

Fortunately for me, my sister Alyx spent time with me and listened. She commiserated with the sad news, supported me in my business concern, and gave wise counsel and sympathy around my friend situation. The two of us sat in the adirondack chairs in our garden, marveling at the raspberries and strawberries and blueberries and grapes and lettuce and spinach and baby bok choy and beets and radishes, and sharing our thoughts and then, eventually, laughing at the parts we could derive some humor from. And shaking our heads at the parts we couldn't.

Then we went to dinner with our husbands and, the next day, spent several hours geocaching and then more time in the adirondack chairs and then a family meal on the deck with our son Pete and Alyx's friend Linda.

What could have been a wretched week was lightened somewhat by the voice of my sister. It's a good voice to have around.

9 comments:

DJan said...

You are very lucky to have your sister around. I'm glad I have FaceTime to talk with my own sister about things, but it's not the same as sitting and sharing a couple of hours together. :-)

Olga said...

It is wonderful that you have such a relationship with your sister. My sister lives twenty miles away--just close enough when we need each other, far enough when we don't.

Debbie V. said...

I enjoyed reading your good and bad. It seems you have been blessed with nearby and helpful family.
I keep wanting to get into geocaching. I know it would help with my daily step goal and get me outdoors which always makes me feel right again.
Baby bokchoy - yum. I have a good Asian recipe for a soup with this and some turkey meatballs.

Linda Reeder said...

I loved the image of the two of you in your chairs marveling at the growing things around you. That would be my respite from the worries of the week.
You always strike me as being full of wisdom, Linda. I guess it must run in the family.

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

I just spent several days visiting my sister in California. It was nice being with her and sharing an easy relationship. Your post reminds me that I could do more to keep the conversations going, even at a distance, and that it would be so worthwhile!

Friko said...

Wonderful.
Joy and misery shared with a sister, what could be better for ones equilibrium.

Melissa Holtzclaw said...
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Melissa Holtzclaw said...
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Madeline Kasian said...

Most times I've been ok with being an only child.But now that i am getting older, I sure would love to have the voice of a sister for times like you share... girlfriends are like gold, but sometimes I daydream about those "large happy families.."