Happy Birthday to my baby sister!
To many, today is a really cool day because it is 12/12/12. To me it is a cool day because I get to celebrate the day my sister was born!
I was just 10 days shy of being a big 8 year old on the day she was born. I remember coming home from school that day and my mom not feeling well. She decided she should go to the doctor and be checked out. All I remember is the doctor telling mom she needed to go straight to the hospital. I don’t remember a lot about the rest…except my grandmother was driving….and mom was in the passenger seat. I was in the back seat all excited!! My most vivid memory of the day is us going towards the hospital and having to go over some pretty bad train tracks. Just as we were coming up to the train tracks……I jumped from the back seat and leaned over the middle of the front seat and threw my arms and head over my momma’s belly to shield and protect my baby sister. I don’t remember much else…..but I knew then I would be protective of my new baby!!
Well, not much has changed. She came into my life and I have loved her since that day she was born. My protective instincts haven’t changed……except that now I know she is a beautiful, caring, strong and very capable woman. I have watched her grow, shine and become a very awesome……very precious person!
And she is not just that to me…..but to everyone she comes into contact with. Everyone she touches thinks she is amazing…which she is! But it is so cool to just watch her interact with others……and see her smile. I watch as she listens and cocks her head to the side and know that she genuinely cares what the other person is saying. She has a way about her that just draws people towards her and want to be around her.
Watching her go through life and face everything head on….. she charged through 6 years of college and came out with 3 degrees! I can’t tell you how proud I beamed at each of her accomplishments! She married just weeks after her last graduation….and my tears of joy for her were overflowing. She was beautiful and poised….and everything I dreamed for her…….and more! She found work in a place where she shined and enjoyed life! She became a mommy and I watched as she loved her new son and I have to say, was proud of her all over again. She faced cancer with a ferocity that not only helped her defeat it…..but also made her a beacon to help others facing the same battle. She became an advocate for women facing a horrendous disease and spoke for them and fought for them……and cried with them….. She has overcome battles and difficult times. She has found a place that she seems to fit….as if there were a missing puzzle piece…..and she was that piece. She is cheering others on to achieve more for themselves than they ever imagined. She juggles home, work, friends and family with grace and in a way that others want to duplicate!
But to me….. well… to me….. she is my baby sister. She is a bright shining star that has been by my side for so long. As much as I have protected her…..she has done the same for me. I have sat beside her in her darkest moments and she has sat beside me during mine. There is no one that knows me better….or who I’d rather have by my side. She is my confidant and my best friend. She loves me unconditionally….just as I love her.
I will always want to protect her….even though she really doesn’t need it! 🙂 But those instincts won’t go away…..so she is just going to have to deal with it!
So…. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY SIS! Happy Birthday Heather Noelle!!
Cheli, I just found this! You write so beautifully. A belated happy birthday to Heather and an early one to you!
She is precious ! I met her while being a customer at the store she used to work in..she and I gravitated to each other and from that point on I never wanted to work with anyone else there ! Once in a while we see each other at different places and the hugs are genuine and caring ! Just love her ! Happy birthday sweet Heather !