This beautiful young woman is my sister, Regan. I call her Schmegel. Kinda rhymes with bagel. Regan is the youngest of my siblings. She's at the very end of the list and she's the furthest from me in so many ways. And yet we have a lot of things in common.
Like me, Regan feels a great involuntary sympathy towards animals. We can't always control how we feel about them. We see them suffering or leading a hard life and we want to take care of them. She has a particular way with horses; but I fear she may have lost that touch over the years. Her life has taken her far away from her association with horses and she doesn't have any in her life right now.
In some ways, I envy Regan's life and in other ways, I feel bad for her. I think she grew up during a time when mom and dad were doing financially better and things were good for them. I think the younger ones had an easier life than the older ones. But at the same time, I think they felt left out of a lot of things. Let's face it, by the time she came along, there was already a huge history between everyone.
I look at her now and I see a strong, capable woman. She's a hard worker and she enjoys her work. She puts everything into whatever she's doing and she'll do anything to make life better for her family. She feels completely loyal to them and goes to great lengths to keep them happy.
I don't want to get too personal about her private life because she's been through some things I'm not sure she'd be comfortable with me writing about. But I will say this much... The time I have had with her lately... I like her a lot. And I love her deeply. I feel a great swell of protectiveness when I think about her. When I hear she's been mistreated or someone's hurt her, I go into a rage spiral. It makes me furious.
Granted, she's a fighter and quite able to take care of herself; but that doesn't stop the angry man inside of me from lurching forward and wanting to kill whoever touched or hurt her. One incident lingers in my mind and I've never been able to get past it. I'm still furious about it and I don't think I'll ever move past it.
No matter what life throws at her, Regan is a great kid and she's got an amazing family. I adore her husband and kids! They're wonderful. I take great pride in everything she's achieved and I wish I had hours of time to sit and talk to her. Just bask in her presence. She's someone I can talk to and enjoy.
I'm not as close to her as I want to be. And part of that is the pace and schedule of life. Still, I think she's knows she can depend on me. At least I hope she does.
In the end, Regan is separated from me by years and yet, she's someone I care for and I feel like she loves me in return. I remember a few weeks back when I was feeling miserable, she brought me medicine and food. That was something I internalized because it meant so much to me that she'd do that.
I will commit myself to finding out more about this incredible woman and being a better friend to her. She's worth it.
Regan is a reason for being.
This is my mom... Right in the middle of telling me not to take a picture of her. Hehehe.
Yesterday was her birthday and she was bombarded with attention and people singing to her. She's seriously one of the most wonderful people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
So mom has had a challenging life. And I won't go into her history, (I'm not even sure I know all of it), but what I do know makes me admire her greatly. She's survived a lot of crap and she's lived a life full of people judging her. She doesn't deserve that and one of the things I'm most impressed with is the fact she's come out the other end and she's not taking it anymore.
Women can be strong in many ways. They can be assertive, aggressive and domineering. These are the strong women we often see in television and movies. But my mom is a woman whose strength lay in those quiet moments when she'd talk to you and make you feel like you were the most important person on the planet. Even with competition from my siblings for attention, she could always make you think you were secretly, her favorite kid. Whatever pain or trouble you were going through, she could make it seem easy to overcome.
She's a fun loving person and her grandkids are the object of her affection. She loves being with them and making them feel special. I know each one of them believes they are the greatest kid in the world because grandma loves them.
She's someone I feel collaborative with. I feel like I can do things with her and enjoy the experience. I also love one quality she possesses I think is truly rare. When she receives a gift, she receives it with her whole heart and soul. She is moved by kindness and responds to good qualities in others.
I respect her opinions and I seek after her thoughts on many subjects. Especially trivial things.
She someone I never seem to get enough time with.
For those of you keeping score, I call her "El Madero".
Ultimately, the greatest compliment I can pay her is this... She's my friend. Not just my mom. And I love that closeness. Happy Birthday, my wonderful mom!
Mom is a reason for being!
This is my older sister, Becky Gifford. There are so many things I can say about her. So much history and most of it I can't remember. But I do have strong feelings for her and I think about her a lot.
Yesterday was her birthday and for those of you who don't know this already, Becky and I are Irish twins. That means we have the same parents and we were born the same year. She was born in January, I was born in December.
Growing up was kinda different for both of us. Usually, the firstborn gets to have a relationship with the parents that's special. They get time all to themselves. With me showing up almost right behind her, Becky was cheated out of that experience. And I've always been right there... Right behind her.
We weren't very close growing up. I don't think she liked me much and I don't remember how I felt about her, but I do know some things. I remember when she got married and moved away. I felt a horrible sadness. Maybe because her leaving was a sign my own childhood was coming to an end; but I think it was because I had so many regrets. And suddenly, she was gone and I could never fix the things I'd done wrong. I couldn't form a strong friendship with her.
We've stayed in touch all these years and I've had many amazing experiences with her as an adult. So many, I can't begin to count. Dumpster diving in Vegas for coupons, going shopping, hanging out at her house and more recently, getting to know her and her family better.
You can't talk about Becky with anyone in the family without hearing how much she's inspired everyone and how much of an example she's been to each of her siblings.
I've gained a great deal of respect for her and my love for her deepens constantly. This wonderful, special, kind and loving woman has raised an amazing family, held down a successful marriage and continues to make ends meet regardless of the curves life throws at her.
And she's been a gentle stillness in my heart at times when I've felt bad and needed kindness. Just so you know, I call her Shmeckums.
Without a doubt, Becky is a reason for being.
