A Special Gift

Oh what fun to have a sister!  I feel so blessed to have my sister.  I remember the excitement on the day she arrived in our family.  It was definitely love at first sight.  We were not always compatible but we had many fun times in our younger years.  Since she talked and I did not she soon became our spokesman.  I did what I could for her and she helped me more than I could ever say.  She always has had a sense for beauty and she showed me how to see the glory of God in sunsets, snow, fall leaves.  I watched as she grew into womanhood, her beauty a testament to God’s glory.  Her struggles tore at my heart. When she went to kindergarten crying I stayed home and cried with her.  I have prayed her over many hurdles.  When she found the love of her life I was so thrilled to think of having a brother added to our family.  Then she was married, living far away, and I was desolate.  How could I be so sad when she was so happy?  Yet, she is still my sister.  I love her with all my heart.  I pray for her daily.  This week I got to work with her in her yard.  It may surprise you to hear me say it was fun, but it was.  We were now two adults working side by side.  She helped me when I needed it.  She pushed me when I needed a push.  She held me into account when I needed it.  Then she made sure I got the dessert I did not need.  In case you did not know it, I love my sister very much.  She is, and always will be, God’s special gift to me.

Filling The Gap

I am usually with both parents throughout the day, but occasionally I am left with just my mom.  This escalates my responsibility as I must care for her, helping as much as I can.  I am usually the one receiving the care, but when Dad is gone someone needs to come to Mom’s aid.  This is not to imply she is helpless or incompetent.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  But she is a lady, and I must be her protector and assist her in any way I can.  That means carrying out loads of wash to be hung outside.  It means giving encouragement as she puzzles over hard things.  It means doing what I can to make her life more pleasant.  I must be more of a companion.  I have to fill in the gaps.  It is often exhausting because I have to stay alert at all times.  She is easy to care for, but I must curb my autistic tendencies to alleviate some stress.  Why you ask?   Well, because I love her, of course.  

Blessings

I have been thinking about my blessings of late. I am blessed with salvation, friends and family.  I have a most amazing family.  We are five in number, my parents, sister, her husband, and me.  We are not perfect by any means, but we know how to have fun together, and best of all, we know Jesus.  I like to spend time together.  We cannot spend much time as a group of five, but I spend a lot of time in the fellowship of three.  That would be my parents and I.  We do many ministry events as a threesome.  I am glad for those times.  As we share God’s love with others it deepens our love for each other. 

We also must do work projects together.  I have chores to do; and while they are boring, we must do them to survive.  I am not fond of sweeping the floor, but I do not imagine my mom is either. 

We do a lot of reading together.  I love those times as we enjoy good books together.  Some books are inspirational, some informative, some are just fun.  We all like to read, so sharing this joy of reading together is uplifting.

Best of all we do daily devotion review after breakfast each morning.  This gives us windows to peek into each other’s souls and see God’s work there.  It is a time of accountability that cements our souls together.  I am blessed and thankful God plucked me from oblivion and brought me to perch in the His family.  The blessings of God are immeasurable!