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| Amy & me ~ 1982 |
She's the one who always came to my classroom in elementary school five minutes before the bell rang to make sure I got on the bus safely before the big kids trampled me. She's the one who was emotional and shy, but could also make the best fart noises with her armpit or belch loud enough to embarrass a truck driver.
She shared a room with me when we were kids and I remember sleeping on our sides facing each other. She would allow me to wrap my top leg around hers and in return, I would let her stick her bottom arm under my cold pillow. It's the only way I could sleep, and her motherly demeanor always made me feel safe.
When we went to a new school in a different county one year and I cried every day in misery, she transferred back to my old school with me the next year so I didn't have to be alone. And after Stacey moved away, she made sure to spend quality time alone with me (and even took pictures).
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| Us in our green beauty masks ~ 1996 |
We shared clothes, laughs, and makeup every day as she drove me to school so I wouldn't be forced to ride the bus.
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| Visiting Stacey in Charlotte, NC ~ 1997 |
But on her wedding day, as she stood beside the car that would take her to her new home in a neighboring state, she hugged me tight and whispered softly in my ear, "I won't be able to take you to school tomorrow." I cried and cried, knowing she wouldn't be living under the same roof as me. What in the world would I do without her?
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| Amy's Wedding ~ 1997 |
It took a long time to get used to her being gone. Our house felt so empty without her there and I felt like an only child. An only child with part of her heart missing.
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| Amy & me ~ 1997 |
A few years later, she and her husband moved back to our hometown (yay!) and made me an aunt for the first time.
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| Amy's baby shower for Emily Grace ~ 2000 |
But as motherhood kicked into full gear, she never ran out of time for me. I would often knock on her bedroom window on my way to college just so I could come inside and snuggle the new baby girl. And even when I woke her up, she never fussed at me.
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| Us on the way home from Disney World ~ 2001 |
Three years later, she stood beside me in the very same church where she had gotten married herself, as I took the vows to love my husband forever. And at our wedding reception, she made a beautiful toast that left me wiping tears from my cheeks.
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| Amy, Stacey & me on my wedding day ~ 2003 |
When I became pregnant, Amy was the one who cried tears of joy with me. She's the one who was holding my hand at the doctor's office when I got to see my baby's heart beating for the first time. And she's the one who was pregnant right along with me.
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Amy & me ~ 2006 |
She's the one who was standing on the other side of the door when my daughter came into this world, and the one who taught me all the lessons of motherhood that she had already learned.
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| SuperMom with her four children ~ Grace, Holli, Charley & Finn |
Dear Amy, I love you so very much. You're not only my sister, you're my friend and my heart. Happy Birthday... I am so grateful for you.
2 comments:
As I sit here at only minutes after midnight on my birthday...I am sobbing in tears. My first thought was, "She stayed up till midnight just to be the first to wish me a Happy Birthday" and the other is, "That Trish, she always has a way with words, usually the ones that bring a tear to my eye." Or in this case, 40 tears.
Even though I don't have the memory of an elephant as you do (mine is more the size of a pea) I DO remember everything you mentioned. The snuggling (I still do that crazy arm thing) and the masks on our faces...and our wedding days and being pregnant together with our babies. One of the greatest things I've been blessed by is having YOU as my baby sister, my built in best friend since you were born. I love you so, so much and thank you for posting today's blog for me.
ps. Thanks for not telling my age! ;)
okay girls. I know it is a month past Amy's birthday and we have celebrated, but I still cry everytime I re-read your posts. I am grateful for three beautiful girls who are still best friends, and help each other out when needed. Who love each other as sisters and I hope that is a gift that you can share with your children and pass it on down. Not every family has that gift of love! I love you all more than I can ever express. You three girls are a gift to me (and your dad) from above.
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