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Wet Noodle Posse | Blog

Monday, May 18, 2009

Three Sisters

I'm the youngest of three sisters. My mother was the middle of three sisters. Her youngest sister had three daughters. In our family, sisters mostly come in threes.

Here's my mother (on the far left) and her two sisters (and their brother)

Their parents died when the sisters were young women; my youngest aunt Gerry was still in high school. Their brother was married with a young family, so the three sisters lived together. My mother was the first to marry and my father moved in with the three sisters. When my Aunt Gerry married, my Aunt Loraine continued to live with my parents. She even came along when my dad went back in the army and was stationed all over, including Japan. My mother was the housewife and "mom" but my aunt was the career woman -both good influences on us girls. Later on when I was in high school my aunt moved back to Washington DC where the career opportunities were better. My two sisters eventually moved there too. And later, my dad was transferred to DC. Even though my mother and aunt no longer lived together, they spoke on the phone every day. My Aunt Gerry had stayed in their hometown, but my mother and aunt phoned her at least once a week.

My sisters and I live within a couple of miles of each other and we don't talk once a day. Sometimes weeks go by. We do try to get together for dinner at least once a month, though, and we are there for each other if there's a need.

Christmas Eve about three years ago one of my sisters had to go to the emergency room for a blood transfusion. She had dangerously low iron deficiency. We all had lots to do that day but we dropped everything to keep her company in the ER. Because she would have done the same for us.

We've also been close to my three cousins, because, of course, growing up we visited them every summer, but none of us are very good at keeping in touch regularly. I do send two of my cousins copies of my books, though.

A few years ago we all had a cousin reunion, the first time we'd all been together since the last of those three original sisters died. That's me in the middle; my sisters on the left and my cousins (minus one) on the right.

All of us are so different. We really have very little in common, fewer than two friends might have. It doesn't matter. Sisters are connected by the heart.

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9 Comments:

At 8:35 AM, Blogger Mo H said...

Diane,
That's so interesting about the three sisters in the family. We have a lot of females on my mom's side (she had two sisters and one brother and my grandmother was one of four sisters--no brother). I'm one of three sisters (and one brother)and I feel closest to the sister who lives near me. She's 30 minutes away. We talk a lot on the phone. We plan to live together at the beach when we're very old and be known as the crazy cat ladies.

 
At 10:05 AM, Blogger Terry Odell said...

It took my twins until they hit 30 to be able to be in the same room without arguing - but they're sisters and have always been there for each other for the 'real' stuff.

 
At 12:15 PM, Blogger Theresa Ragan said...

Terry, are you saying you have thirty year old twins?! Wow, you look too young...maybe I'm reading that wrong.

Anyhow, Diane, that's funny about you sisters not having a lot in common. I am one of five sisters and I don't have ANYTHING in common with one of them...but because there are so many of us and we all live close by, we ALL get together regularly. Sisters of the hears...definitely.

Great pictures and stories, Diane!

 
At 12:34 PM, Blogger Diane Gaston said...

I agree. Terry doesn't look old enough to have 30 year old twins.

Thanks for the nice comments, ladies. Sisters are special.

 
At 12:49 PM, Blogger Keira Soleore said...

You made me cry there. Can I say how envious I am of you? Having sisters and having them both live within a couple miles of you and having all of you get along? But if I can't have that experience, I'm glad one of the best people I know in the world is living it.

 
At 1:05 PM, Blogger Diane Gaston said...

Aw, Keira! What a nice thing to say!! You are my honorary sister!!!

 
At 1:05 PM, Blogger Judy said...

How very cool about your aunt staying with the family. And wonderful that there's the deep love and affection without the need to have a lot of other things in common.

 
At 6:09 PM, Blogger Terry McLaughlin said...

What a wonderful post, Diane! Love the pictures :-).

My mother-in-law was an only child, as were her cousins. Those female cousins were very close, and they thought of themselves as sisters though they grew up in separate households.

My mother and her sister now live in the same town after many years apart, and they're thrilled to be so close again. They see each other several times each week, to play bridge or socialize...and they both have cats. So Mo, I can easily picture you and your sister as elderly crazy cat ladies ;-).

And no, in that photo, Terry doesn't look old enough to be a mom of thirty-year-olds :-).

 
At 6:30 PM, Blogger Terry Odell said...

Actually, the girls will be 34 this year, and they weren't my first. Their big brother will be 38. There's a lot to be said for those 72 dpi pictures (and I'll give a lot of credit to genetics). But yes, I AM old enough.

 

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