The fall of 2021 has been a difficult, sad, and enlightening period.
In September, I lost my dog, Trixie, who had been my constant companion for nearly 17 years.
Her loss hit me particularly hard. I re-purposed my BestSpringerSpaniels.com to a tribute to her life and more about the dogs in my life. I suppose one good thing coming from Trixie’s passing was my finding a new hobby: gardening, and the creation of a living memorial to her life.
Suddenly and unexpectedly on Nov. 13th, my older sister Sherry passed away.
She was my first sibling to pass away and I was reminded of how important family is how much we take for granted. I am exceedingly thankful for my two sisters, Dietrie and Mary, for taking care of the details in the following days. I was honored to prepare a slide show for her “celebration of life” service and have since remade it into a video.
As I prepared the video and thought of my sister’s life, I was impressed by the thought of how some of our most inner thoughts are never shared. They die with the person. Sherry has written some personal diary entries and wish-lists, etc. that revealed information I never knew about my sister. Also, talking with her friend, Mr. Pete, at her funeral, he described a different Sherry and said he never saw the family side of her that I described.
The reflection also reminded me of the different roles we play in life… that of a friend, and that of a brother.
What’s important in life?
Blood family members (kin) are especially important. I can’t think of any closer. We grow up together, experiencing each other’s challenges in ways unlike any other relationship. As we grow older, get married and begin our own families, and move away to distant locations, our relationships change.
Priorities
As adults, we get so busy and hectic that our priorities change and we often lose sight of what’s truly important.
How I wish now I was more of a “friend” to my sister as an adult rather than brother. It’s not that I have anything against being a brother, it’s only a different relationship than “friend”. It’s a different dynamic.